Legend of Apocalypse
by Trueangel
Summary: Takes place 14 years after the end of Crystallis. Rei lives a normal life, being the coach of his daughter's team, but someone from his past returns unexpectedly, and they travel through time to save... yes, the world. KaixRei, TysonxMax, OCxMax, OCxOC.
1. Chapter I The Nekojin Beyblader

Legend of Apocalypse 

Disclaimer: Trueangel does not own Beyblade or Leon.

~~~

I have more plushies for you, reviewers! This time it's Phoenix plushies (the 14 y.o. Phoenix, you'll see how she looks like in this chapter). *hands out plushies* Welcome to "Legend of Apocalypse"... enjoy!

~~~

Unanswered reviews for "Crystallis":-

Blue Winged Angel: I kinda felt that "Phoenix" was a weird name as well... but what the heck. Oh well, enjoy this fic!

sakura blossoms4: Here's more!

Platinum Rei; Yup, Kai'll be back alright. Though you'll have to wait a bit. And Rei'll be 36 in this fic... not *that* old, but not young either. I had to have such a long break because Phoenix will have a part in this fic...

LoneWolfStar7: Sigh, poor hikaris... oh well, I'm not them either! Here, enjoy the sequel!

Rumi-chan: Yeah, finally we have more females in the main cast. Personally I think that boys may speak tough, act tough and all that, but when it comes to downright viciousness the girls come out champs. Oh, ignore my ranting... enjoy!

SoulSister: Yeah, 'Zhu Fu' is a really nice song. You might wanna get your hands on it. Well, do enjoy this sequel!

~~~

_Note from Trueangel: I know I said that Legend of Apocalypse would be at aff.net. However, at the last minute I decided this fic will be fully PG-13... so that means no explicit lemons, all you hentai freaks. All potential scenes will be either wrapped up in 10 layers of blankets, or shoved into the closet altogether, so this fic will be totally safe for your consumption. Now that that's out of the way... enjoy!_

Leon: Ooh, finally, the sequel is here!

Trueangel: Yup, it's finally here.

Leon: I thought you'd forgotten the fic forever...

Trueangel: *mock-gasps* How could I ever do that?

Leon: Err... right.

Trueangel: Oh yeah, I've finally found my hikari side!

Leon: You mean A-chan's been a yami all along?

Trueangel: Yeah... my hikari's name is Val Kyren!

V.K.: *waves*

Leon: V.K. looks suspiciously like A-chan.

V.K.: Well, duh. I am Trueangel's hikari.

Leon: Whatever... let's get on with the fic!

Trueangel: Hey, that was supposed to be my line! *tackles Leon*

V.K.: Uh... yeah. Get on with the fic.

~~~

Chapter 1 The Nekojin Beyblader

Carrying a lit candle in one hand, the angel ascended the steps to the library. Intutively, his other hand went up to brush back a few blue locks that were covering his eyes. About 20 years after becoming an angel, he still looked exactly the same as he had when he arrived. It probably had something to do with the rate of growth of an angel. Angels lived for 2500 years, so 20 years was like a few months' worth of human growth, which wasn't much.

Slowly, his mind wandered to the issues that were bothering him. Lately, Heaven had come under attack by the devils. For most angels, the fact that it was devils who were attacking was enough for them to fight back. Most angels hated devils. But during his time as a human, he had learnt much and knew better. He knew that there were devils who could turn good. There were angels and devils alike who questioned the meaning of their fighting, who refused to accept that it was just because. He was one, as was his previous master before he disappeared. Some saw no point in the fighting and decided to relinquish their angel or devil status. Others like himself were still searching for the answer.

The angel reached the large wooden door to the library and reached inside his pocket for the key. Ever since he became the Phoenix Guard, his previous master's position, he had much more freedom to access the vast tomes of knowledge Heaven contained, facilitating his quest for answers. Nevertheless, he felt uneasy about usurping his master's position. While the rest of Heaven had assumed that his master had died, he didn't think so. He had seen his master's strength, and believed that he would return one day.

The angel stepped inside the library, and used his candle to light the torches around the main chamber. He them carried his torch into one of the aisles. His crimson eyes quickly scanned the shelves, looking for the book that he was after. He had chanced across it many years ago while he was here with his master, but he hadn't thought much of it then. But right now, that book was his only clue to solve the mystery of the sudden attack.

He quickly found the book and returned to the main chamber. Placing his candle on one of the large wooden tables, he sat down to read.

_An ancient angel legend believes that the world exists in cycles, with the end of each cycle marked by an event known as Apocalypse. This Apocalypse is not the end of the entire world, where everything is destroyed, but rather is the death of a previous person, idea, or anything that had been symbolic of the previous cycle. Characters closely associated with the legend are the Destroyer, the Creator, and the four guards of Apocalypse._

_The Destroyer, in certain versions of the legend, is the actual being who brings about the destruction of the previous cycle. Other versions say that the Destroyer is merely a catalyst for destruction. The Destroyer is not necessarily an evil being, and might even be motivated by positive ideals, such as justice. This is especially so when the previous cycle was born out of evil intents. Nevertheless, the Destroyer, either directly or indirectly, ends the previous cycle._

The Creator, on the other hand, is the being that shall bring about the creation of a new cycle. Again, there are conflicting beliefs: some believe the Creator directly brings about the new cycle, while others say the Creator is just a catalyst. The Creator, like the Destroyer, is not necessarily good; a cycle can be created out of evil ideas. Also, the Creator and Destroyer do not have to be in conflict. They might be one single being, or they might be two totally unrelated people.

Of greater intrigue is the role of the guards of Apocalypse. There are 4 guards: Metal, Dragon, Phoenix, and Tiger. There are numerous ideas about their roles. Some versions believe the guards are merely ceremonial and have no impact on Apocalypse. Other legends believe that the four guards are to defeat the Destroyer and pave the way for the Creator to do his job. One more common version, however, has this saying: 'Metal is the corrupted and the corruptor, who disrupts the cycle of life. Dragon with its unmatched might, shall end the cycle past. Phoenix shall rise from the flames, renewed, renewing the world. Tiger, lord of beasts, shall bring forth new life again.'_ One problem with this belief, then, is the overlapping roles of the Destroyer, Metal Guard, and Dragon Guard, and the Creator, Phoenix Guard, and Tiger Guard. Some believe that there might be less than 6 people, meaning that some beings will play two or more roles, while others insist that there are 6 separate beings._

Kai closed the book. For the first time in many years, his worry was clearly etched on his face. He quickly sent out a telepathic message to his apprentice, Wyatt. Within a few minutes, Wyatt was at the door.

"You called, Lord Kai?"

"Yes. Send a message to my old friend Dreamer. I wish to speak with him as soon as possible."

"Is that all, Lord?"

"Call me Lord one more time and i'll make your life he... I'll make your life ten times as hard."

"Er... yes, L- Master."

"You may go."

+++

Rei woke up to the scent of delicious food wafting into his room. he smiled. There was only one place to find Phoenix in the morning: the kitchen. That girl had been glued to the kitchen ever since Rei taught her how to cook. And she was pretty good; Phoenix could whip up a sumptous meal in about an hour, and something less heavy but just as deliucious in just a few minutes. Rei quickly got out of bed and tied his raven hair in a short ponytail. He threw on a few clean clothes and walked out of his room in his house in Japan.

Rei walked into the kitchen to check out his breakfast for the day. His grin grew even wider when he saw what Phoenix had cooked: pancakes. His favorite.

"Mmm, something smells good."

Phoenix turned around. One hand went up to brush back her shoulder-length flaming red hair as she noticed Rei through her navy blue eyes. She wore a plain white shirt that ended above her waist, and a pair of light blue jeans. Rei's red bandana was tied around her right arm, while an Ace of Hearts card in a plastic frame hung around her neck.

"You're awake, Dad. I prepared pancakes."

"Is it any special occasion?"

"Nope. I just felt like it."

"Are you sure?"

"Dad, why do you have to suspect everything I do?" asked Phoenix jokingly.

"Fine, I believe you. Oh yeah, have you found a fourth member for your team yet?"

"Dad, our team doesn't need a fourth member. Three people are more than enough."

"Maybe, but the tournament rules-"

"Yeah, don't worry, I know the rules. I've already got one of my classmates to join the team."

"Is your classmate really that good?"

"Definitely. I've beybladed with him before. I can bring him home after school to let you test out his skill."

"Is this an excuse to bring your boyfriend home?" Rei asked jokingly.

"OF COURSE NOT! Xaleon's just a friend. Well, I'll be going to school now."

Phoenix picked up her bag and quickly left the house, leaving Rei alone as he ate his breakfast.

"Oh well, to think a random guess would be that accurate..." mused Rei to himself after a while.

+++

"Class is dismissed," the teacher said over the sound of the ringing bell.

Phoenix quickly threw her stuff into her bag. As she lifted one hand to push back her hair, she looked up to find Xaleon. She realized that he was almost out of the classroom and hurriedly picked up her bag as she ran after her friend. She finally caught up with him in the corridor.

"Xaleon!"

Xaleon turned around.

"Oh, it's you, Phoenix."

Xaleon slowed down so that Phoenix could catch up.

"Um... are you free this afternoon?" Phoenix asked.

"Phoenix... are you trying to date me or something?"

"NO! Why do you think just like my dad?"

"Well, sorry. Yeah, I'm free. Why?"

"I was wondering if you could come over to my house. My dad wants to see how good your beyblading skills are."

"Sure."

"Really?"

"Of course. I am free, after all. And I really want to meet your dad."

"Why? My dad is the coach of the team, so you'll meet him soon enough."

"You mean you don't know who your dad is?"

"Nope. Is he that famous?"

"Oh, of course you wouldn't know... it was before we were born. It's a little hobby of mine, knowing about beyblade history."

"So why is my dad so famous? All I know is that he knows a lot about beyblading."

"You should ask him yourself. You'll be surprised."

Phoenix and Xaleon continued talking about many things as they walked. Before long, they were standing in front of Phoenix's house. Phoenix pushed the gate open and led Xaleon through the door.

"Dad, I'm home."

Rei emerged from his room, and immediately noticed Xaleon.

"Dad, this is my friend, Xaleon Yami. Xaleon, this is my dad."

Rei looked at Xaleon. He had ice blue hair and a pair of blood red eyes. Xaleon wore a white sleeveless vest with the Japanese kanji 'yami' at the front in black. Under the vest was a black sleeveless T-shirt. He wore light blue pants that looked rather like what Rei had wore about two decades ago, along with a black belt with a silver buckle that bore the letter 'X'. Xaleon also had a pair of dark brown gloves, but his most noticable feature was the pair of cat ears on his head.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kon," said Xaleon as he smiled. Rei could barely see the tip of a pair of fangs.

"You can just call me Rei. You're a nekojin?"

"Err, yeah. I don't know why. I think it's a birth defect."

"Don't worry, it's okay. I'm a nekojin myself. Well, Phoenix told me that she asked you to join the team."

"Yeah."

"Why don't the two of you have a battle? It'll be great chance for the two of you to train, and for me to see how good you are at the same time."

"Sure," said Xaleon.

"Okay," agreed Phoenix. "We'll go to the dish at the backyard."

The two teens ran ahead to the dish, and Rei followed behind. When he reached the backyard, Xaleon and Phoenix were already standing at opposite ends of the dish, ready to begin.

"3, 2, 1," Phoenix shouted, "LET IT RIP!"

Phoenix's red beyblade and Xaleon's light blue one flew into the dish.

"Go, Trinity!" yelled Phoenix.

"Go, Ice Dranzer!" Xaleon shouted.

The two beyblades circled each other in the dish, ready to attack.

"Trinity, use your Golden Trinity attack!"

The red beyblade disappeared and reappeared at various points on the dish, forming a triangle which slowly closed in on Xaleon's beyblade. Rei had seen this move many times, and it was a move Phoenix was proud of. If the opponent tried to escape the triangle, Trinity would immediately appear at that point to knock the beyblade back into the middle of the triangle.

"Ice Dranzer, Force Shield!"

The blue beyblade's spin speed increased greatly, and the large wings on the attack ring created a circle around Ice Dranzer that shielded off all attacks. Trinity was immediately thrown back by the shield.

"Now, Ice Dranzer, Icicle Spikes!"

Rei noticed a freely-spinning ring of small round knobs around Ice Dranzer's base. Ice Dranzer tilted to one side as it headed towards Trinity, ready to use that ring to attack. However, the red beyblade quickly avoided the attack.

"Trinity, use Golden Trinity again!"

"Alright, come out, Ice Dranzer!"

Rei saw Xaleon's eyes glow pale blue, like his bit chip. A beam of light shot out from Xaleon's beyblade and Ice Dranzer materialized in the air. Rei immediately shivered from the cold aura emantating from the bit beast. Ice Dranzer looked like a crystallized version of Dranzer. It had countless ice shards in place of feathers, which were sharp and deadly. The shards at the tip of its wings were colored red, but the rest of its body was a glassy blue color.

"Trinity, quickly pull back!"

"Ice Dranzer, Frost Circle!"

Rei didn't see anything happen, all he could feel was the air getting colder. However, he saw Trinity's spin speed slow down. Suddenly, he realized what had happened. Ice Dranzer had used its power to cool the air. Based on Rei's knowledge of science, this meant that the air molecules had slowed down, ultimately causing the air itself to slow down. Trinity was no longer only fighting only Ice Dranzer, but the air itself as well. Unable to slice the air as effectively as before, trinity naturally slowed down. Eventually, it was too slow to keep its balance, and tipped to one side.

"That was impressive," Rei commented. "So, your bit beast is Ice Dranzer?"

"Yeah," said Xaleon as he picked up his beyblade.

"You know, I once knew the wielder of the original Dranzer..."

"His name was Kai Hiwatari, right? Captain of the Bladebreakers. You were part of his team too."

"You know about the Bladebreakers?"

"Yeah. Beyblade history is one of my interests."

Just then, Phoenix joined them.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing much," replied Xaleon.

"Xaleon, do you mind if I test you myself?" asked Rei.

"Dad, you mean you want to fight him?"

"Yeah. i haven't beybladed for so many years. It's time I took my Driger out of retirement. So what do you say, Xaleon?"

"Of course. It'll be a good experience to fight someone as skilled as you."

"You flatter me. Well, I'll go and get my beyblade. The two of you might wanna talk for a while."

Rei went back into the house and entered his room. He pulled open a drawer just beside his bed. There, in a glass case, lay four beyblades. There was the white Dragoon that belonged to Tyson. Rei could feel his emotions welling up as he thought about Tyson. Tyson had left it on the dish in China after his very last battle with Kai, just before he saw Max, and... Rei pushed those thoughts out of his mind. There were also the pieces of Max's Draciel. Even the Chief had said that it was beyond repair. He had offered to create a new beyblade for Max, but seeing as Max no longer wanted to beyblade, there was no point. Nevertheless, Rei kept the pieces as a memory of the days they had toured the world, beyblading together. Then there was Kai's Dranzer... Hui had found it when he went to save Kai from Volten so many years ago, and passed it to Rei after Kai left. It was in a worse state than Draciel, but Rei couldn't bear to throw it away. Last was his own Driger. Rei picked it up, put the other beyblades back and hurried out to the backyard.

Rei and Xaleon stood at opposite ends of the dish, ready to beyblade. Phoenix watched from one side.

"I won't be going easy on you, Xaleon."

"Don't worry, neither will I."

"Good."

"Get ready!" Phoenix shouted. "3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!"

"Driger, go!"

"Go for it, Ice Dranzer!"

Rei's grey Driger and Xaleon's blue Ice Dranzer both entered the dish.

"Driger, do a direct attack!"

The grey beyblade flew straight at Ice Dranzer.

"Force Shield!"

"Driger, pull back!"

A shield was again created by Ice Dranzer's wings, but Driger avoided crashing into it.

"Alright, Driger, let's see if I still know how to do this..."

Rei closed his eyes and concentrated on the familiar power of the white tiger. Slowly, he could feel the power fill him again like it did so many years ago. Rei accepted that power into his body, and channeled it into his beyblade.

"Go, DRIGER!"

A beam of green light burst out of Rei's beyblade. The white tiger rose up in the beam of light and let out a powerful roar. It looked as magnificent as it had been the first time Rei ever saw it.

Now, Driger, Tiger Roar!"

The white tiger let out a deafening roar, and both Phoenix and Xaleon instinctively flinched. The ground shook slightly, and Ice Dranzer wobbled a bit, its defense weakened.

"Ok, Driger, move in for a Tiger Claw!"

"Ice Dranzer, evade!"

The tiger flew towards the blue beyblade at top speed, but Ice Dranzer managed to move out of the way at the last moment.

"Ice Dranzer, come out!"

The ice bird emerged from its beyblade like it had just minutes ago, screeching.

"Frost Circle!"

"Driger, quickly use your Tiger Roar!"

Phoenix and Xaleon quickly covered their ears as Driger roared again. The attack again sook Ice Dranzer, disrupting its concentration and causing the move to fail.

"Now, Driger, Tiger Claw!"

Ice Dranzer tried to move away again, but this time Driger's attack hit, and Ice Dranzer was sent flying out of the dish. Xaleon walked over to pick up his beyblade.

"That was a great battle," said Xaleon.

"Thanks. You weren't too bad yourself. Well, I think I'll leave you and Phoenix to train."

+++

Rei looked out of a window into the backyard. It was already dark, but Xaleon and Phoenix were still training outside. The had only stopped for a while for dinner, but immediately continued after eating. Rei decided to talk to them.

"Xaleon, shouldn't you be going home? It's pretty late."

"Err... actually, I was going to ask you if I could stay over for the night."

"Hmm... are you sure you and Phoenix aren't a couple?"

Despite it being dark, Rei could still clearly see the deep red color on both of their faces.

"Just kidding. It's okay, if your parents are agreeable."

"Um..."

"Xaleon lives alone. He doesn't have any parents or relatives," explained Phoenix.

"Oh dear... in that case, it's perfectly fine for you to stay over. We have a guest room you can stay in."

"Thanks," said Xaleon.

"It's okay. Just don't stay up too late, okay?"

"Don't worry, dad, we'll be fine."

Rei smiled at his daughter and Xaleon, then returned back into the house.

~~~

Leon: Hmm, the name 'Xaleon' sounds suspiciously familiar...

V.K.: Am I sensing the beginning of a het couple? Oh good, finally something normal.

Leon: WAA!!! I don't wanna be paired up with Phoenix, I want my A-chan!

Trueangel: Calm down, Leon... *glares at V.K.* Why did you have to make the het pairing clear to Leon?!

V.K.: I thought it already was!

Trueangel: *glares at V.K.* It's okay Leon... I'll still be around at the beginning and the end of the fic.

Leon: Oh well, I guess it isn't that bad... well, do review!


	2. Chapter II The Tournament Begins

Legend of Apocalypse 

Disclaimer: Trueangel does not own Beyblade or Leon.

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Hoo boy... more plushies... I never seem to run out of them, do I? Well, this time it's Xaleon plushies! Put them close to your Phoenix plushies and they both blush... hehe. *hands out plushies*

~~~

Platinum Rei: Ooh, first review! Well, you'll see where the story goes soon enough...

SoulSister: Oh, you flatter me. Well, it takes a little imagination and a LOT of planning... I think I've had ideas for Legend of Apocalypse flying around since the end of Angel and Devil.

Rumi-Chan: Bad, bad Rei! *whacks Rei on the head* Phoenix-chan is mine, mine mine MINE! Err, as in my character... oh well. You can relax, she isn't going to any nunnery, 'cos I say so. Well, enjoy this chapter!

Kitsune: You haven't read the two prequels to this fic, have you? You can find the links on my Bio page.

~~~

Leon: Another chapter of the fic... more time with Phoenix-chan... 

V.K.: Hey, don't be so bad to her. The reviewers like her. 

Leon: I just want my A-chan... where is your yami anyway? 

V.K.: I have no idea. 

Leon: *sweatdrops* So who is doing this fic? 

V.K.: Err... 

Xan: I am! 

V.K.: *sweatdrops* Where did you come from? 

Xan: The last two fics, duh. 

V.K.: No, I mean... argh, forget it. 

Leon: *eyes Xan testily* *begins casting a spell* 

Xan: Oh come on, Leon. I'm not that bad. I'll even bring back an old character! 

Leon: Hmph. Yourself? 

Xan: You'll see... well, let's get on with the fic! 

Leon: Hey, that's A-chan's line! *tackles Xan* 

V.K.: Uh... yeah. Get on with the fic. _(thought)This is strangely familiar..._

~~~

Chapter 2 The Tournament Begins 

"Man, there're so many people this year!" 

Rei, Phoenix, Xaleon, and the remaining two members of the team Trinfinity stood at the grounds of the Japan Beyblade Tournament. The place was so packed, they didn't think they could take a step without bumping into someone. 

"I'm sure glad we don't have to battle our way through all these people just to enter the top 16," shouted Phoenix such that her friends could hear her over the noise of people talking and beyblading. 

"We don't?" asked a confused Xaleon. He had never been in a tournament before. 

"Yeah. Trinfinity was second last year. The second, third and fourth of each year's tournament are automatically in the top 16 next year," explained Rei. 

"So... what are we doing here, if we aren't battling?" asked Xaleon. 

"Checking out the competition," said Rei. "Identify the tougher teams and prepare for them. Just because we're good doesn't mean we don't have work to do." 

"Well, Xaleon, Val, Zee, why don't we go see how this year's teams are like?" asked Phoenix. 

"Ok," said Val. 

Val Kane, a 16 year-old boy, had golden hair and crimson eyes. He wore a plain, collarless black shirt that was ripped at the ends of the sleeves. Around his wrists werw white wrist cuffs that resembled those on formal shirts, except that they ended halfway between his wrists and elbows. Val wore simple navy jeans held up by a black belt, and a pair of black leather boots. However, the feature most of the beyblading world recognised was the flowing red cape secured by a golden round emblem with a "V" on it. Many of his fans affectionately called him 'Superman' because of it. 

Zeta merely muttered an indistinct word - or it might have been a meaningless sound, nobody could tell - as he began walking into the crowd. 

Zeta Zagan, or 'Zee' to his friends, and an enigmatic 'Z2' to the rest of the beyblading world, was the same age as Val, a 16 year-old male. Zeta looked a lot like his mother, but he had a pair of icy blue eyes - just like his father. Zeta had brown hair which ended halfway to his waist at the back, and his sideburns touched his shoulders. He wore a simple black robe with metallic grey lining at the edges, secured around his waist by a black belt. On his shoulders were a pair of shoulder guards, sewed to the cloth. 

Rei watched as the 4 beybladers went off on their own to watch the competition. The tournament format had changed since he last beybladed. Now, each country held its own competition to choose teams to send to the World Tournament. There wasn't much inter-country travelling, like he and his teammates had done so many years ago. Rei looked at the countless young bladers gathered, each one of them aspiring to be crowned champion of Japan - and after that, champion of the world. Rei recalled the tournament that had brought the Bladebreakers together. At the request of Mr. Dickenson, he had come from China to enter the tournament, and before he knew it, the four of them - Tyson, Max, Kai and him - were a team. Rei briefly wondered how Mr. D was. He would have probably passed on by now, but Rei didn't know for sure. 

Rei stood around for a while before deciding to go search for Xaleon. He wanted to speak with that boy. Rei was intrigued by Xaleon. He had never met a nekojin other than the White Tigers, and he hoped Xaleon would have some idea as to the origins of the nekojins. Were they an entirely new species, never before seen on the face of the Earth? Were they a race of humans, like blacks and whites and Asians? Or were they products of genetic mutation, like in the X-men movie he'd seen with Kai... 

**__**

=Flashback= 

Kai and Rei walked out of the theater, having just watched X2. They were chattering excitedly about the movie. 

"So? How did you like it?" asked Rei. 

"It was wonderful. I'm really glad I came out with you today," answered Kai. 

"It was a pity Jean had to die in the end though..." 

"Well, at least she died for her friends." 

=End Flashback= 

Distracted by his thoughts, Rei didn't notice where he was walking and collided with a man with sandy-brown hair. 

"I'm sorry," Rei mumbled. 

"Rei?" 

Rei took a closer look at the person he'd bumped into. 

"Chief?" 

It was Kenny all right. Rei was sure. For one, he no longer was certain who had bumped into who, since Kenny's long bangs still covered his eyes. 

"Chief, what have you been doing these years? I haven't seen you since after the tournament." 

"I run a beyblade shop. Since I've got someone else to stnad in for me today, I thought I'd come down to see how the tournaments are like now." 

"Oh... I'm the coach of my daughter's team. They're taking part." 

"You have a daughter?" 

"Adopted," Rei explained quickly. 

"Well, do come to my shop one day. I'll be more than happy to help fix your team's beyblades. Here's my shop address." 

Kenny scribbled his shop's address on a scrap of paper and handed it to Rei. 

"Thanks. Well, see you around!" 

"Yeah, see you soon." 

Rei watched as Kenny walked back into the crowd, then went off to continue searching for Xaleon. 

+++

Xaleon winded through the sea of countless beyblade dishes where young beybladers battled, as he glanced at their games. He hadn't spotted anyone powerful enough to interest him yet. Most of the entrants were amateur beybladers hoping to luck out and win the tournament. Well, they'd need more than luck. They'd need real skill, and a lot of it, if they were going to get anywhere near the top positions. 

Xaleon finally stopped in front of a battle that looked mildly interesting. The two beybladers showed slightly more promise than the rest of them, at any rate. 

"Red Scorpion, close in for an attack!" 

"Jupiter, evade!" 

A red beyblade, which Xaleon believed to be Red Scorpion, headed towards the other black beyblade, but the one named Jupiter was too fast to be caught. 

"Jupiter, c-" 

The beyblader suddenly stopped as a third grey beyblade flew into the dish. Xaleon looked at the source of that interruption. He saw a girl with raven hair that reached her shoulders and pale blue eyes, wearing a black biker's helmet. She wore a black leather jacket whose sleeves reached her wrists. Underneath that was a plain white shirt. On her hands were a pair of black biker's gloves. She wore black leather pants, and a pair of black boots with many silver buckles that looked more decorative than practical. From the way her beyblade was moving, Xaleon could tell this girl was far more skilled than anyone else he had met here. The grey beyblade swiftly knocked the other two beyblades out of the dish in succession, then flew back into its owner's hands. 

"Why don't you just give up? There's no way you're gonna win with your current skills," said the new girl with a voice so deep it would have put many basses to shame. 

"Hey, stop it!" Xaleon found him shouting, much to the surprise of everyone around, most of all himself. "Just because they're less skilled doesn't give you a right to bully them like that. Why don't you pick on someone your own skill?" 

"Like who; you, kitty boy?" 

"I'm ready to take you on anyday, anytime." 

"Xaleon, Sylphie, stop it!" 

Xaleon turned around. Phoenix was running towards them, slightly out of breath. 

"Oh. it's you, Phoenix. Who is this, your boyfriend?" the girl called Sylphie teased. 

"It's none of your business," replied Phoenix tersely. 

"Well, I'll let him off for now. But someday we'll meet in the dish, Xaleon." 

Xaleon watched as Sylphie walked away, before turning to talk to Phoenix. 

"Who is she?" 

"She used to be a teammate. She left on her own before you joined. She might be a bully, but she's a really good beyblader. You don't want to cross her path." 

"But I can't help but feel what she said is true, that we're gonna battle someday." 

"Yeah... so do I," said Phoenix worriedly. 

"Hey Phoenix, why did you bail me out just now?" 

"I didn't want you to get into trouble. Aren't we teammates?" 

"No, I'm serious. Do you... do you have a crush on me?" 

"I..." 

"Hey, Xaleon!" 

Phoenix turned around. It was Rei. Inwardly, she cursed her dad for his 'wonderful' timing, not knowing Xaleon was thinking the exact same thing. 

"Oh Phoenix, you're here as well." 

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Phoenix almost shrieked. 

"What, am I not supposed to be here?" 

"Err... no, it's just that... I wasn't expecting to see you here." 

"Well, I just wanted to talk to Xaleon about something. You can continue watching the battles, I'm not stopping you." 

"Well, see you later, Phoenix," said Xaleon. 

Rei and Xaleon both looked as Phoenix disappeared into the crowd. 

"So, sir, what did you want to talk to me about?" 

"I told you, you can just call me Rei. I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about nekojins." 

"I don't know... there are many myths floating about, but half of them aren't even close." 

"So, which do you believe?" 

"Well, there's one which says..." 

+++

"Boy, that was some tournament! There were so many people!" exclaimed Phoenix. 

The four beybladers and Rei had returned to Phoenix's house after a morning at the tournament. That place also served as their training grounds. 

"So, did you see anyone we should be wary of?" asked Rei. 

"No," replied Val. 

Under his breath, Zeta muttered "amateurs". 

"Well, I did run into someone..." Xaleon began. 

"We saw Sylphie," said Phoenix. 

"Hmm, Sylphie... well, we have to watch out for her team. And then there's the third and fourth team of last year. The thing about auto-qualification is that we don't get to see their new tricks beforehand," said Rei. 

"Sylphie, eh? Can't wait to kick her ass," said Zeta. 

"Better not get overconfident," warned Rei. "Zeta, I want you to have a battle with Val. Let's see what areas the two of you are weak in." 

"Alright, but I won't go easy on you just because it's a practice battle, Zee." 

"Good, 'cos you can't afford to." 

Rei and Phoenix smiled as the entire group walked out to the beyblade dish, with Zeta and Val in the lead. Despite their constant verbal sparring, and no matter how much they denied it, everyone (except Xaleon) knew exactly how strong the friendship between the two of them were. It was because each of them saw the other as an equal. Rei was far above them in terms of skill, and moreover, his age, generation, and status as coach placed him as a senior in the team. Phoenix too was above their skill, as she had proved on many occasions, even if only by a bit. She was also a girl, and the coach's daughter _and_ the team leader at that. Nobody wanted to mess with her. Yes, they were friends with her, but only at the minimum level needed for the team to function well; nothing more. And Xaleon was a newcomer. Neither of them were too enthusiastic about newbies. Perhaps given some time, they might accept Xaleon as something more than a team member, but for now, he was in another world to them. 

Zeta and Val took their positions at opposite ends of the dish as the other three stood to one side, watching the battle. Phoenix began the countdown. 

"Ready, you two? 3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!" 

Zeta's metallic grey beyblade and Val's flaming red one both flew into the dish. Val's beyblade immediately headed for Zeta's, but the grey blade gracefully pushed the red whir aside without budging. 

"Zeta's defence is amazing! It fended off that attack without breaking a sweat," commented Xaleon. 

"Yes. The wide blades of the attack ring, together with the slightly slower but more powerful spin, allows it to push attacks away," replied Rei. 

Meanwhile, Val was preparing another attack. His red blade tilted to one side, headed towards Zeta's beyblade, and tried to flip it over. The grey beyblade wobbled for a while, but soon regained it's stability. 

"Val isn't too bad himself," said Xaleon. 

"Yeah, his blade has an extremely powerful upper attack, which tries to lift opponents' blades. You've noticed the extra-flat base? It makes the blade lower so that it's easier to use its upper attack. Also, the wings of Val's blade are shaped to push air upwards, further increasing the power of its attack," explained Phoenix. 

In the dish, Zeta was preparing to launch an attack of his own. 

"Drike, show him your Drike Cannon!" 

The grey blade became a blur as it moved towards Val's red beyblade. However, it moved rather slowly, and looked more like a line slowly extending outwards. 

"Drike is too slow! Why doesn't Val interrupt its attack?" asked Xaleon. 

"Oh no, Drike is moving way faster than you think," replied Phoenix with a smile. "Drike is actually moving slightly away, then returns to its original position, moves a bit further, returns, and moves again, repeating this until it hits the target." 

"It moves _that_ fast? Then why doesn't it attack at one shot?" 

"By moving this way, Drike can quickly respond if the target moves, the attack is more difficult to be interrupted, and Drike can build up momentum to execute a more powerful attack." 

At the same time, Drike had smashed into its opponent, sending the red blade skidding accross the dish. However, Val's beyblade bounced off a wall and flew back at Drike, this time causing the grey blade to move backwards slightly. 

"Why isn't Val using any special attacks?" asked Xaleon. 

"Val can only use his attacks if his bit beast is present, and he's biding his time right now," replied Rei. 

"But he'll lose if he doesn't do anything!" 

"Not necessarily. Val's endurance is good enough such that he can try to wait out a match, if needed. Moreover, Drike's slower spin speed means it has less endurance." 

"Both of their beyblades actually require immense skill to work properly," added Phoenix. "For Val, he has to choose the exact time to call out his beast. If he calls it too soon, the opponent will have enough time to react causing his attacks to backfire, but if he calls it too late then it won't help at all. As for Zee, he has to give his blade the most powerful spin without compensating too much speed. Too little power weakens his defence abilities, but too little speed damages his endurance instead." 

"I didn't know it was that delicate..." 

"Welcome to the world of the pros, buddy." 

A bead of sweat formed on Val's forehead as he concentrated on the battle and trying to slowly wear down Drike. However, Zeta remained as calm as ever. 

"If that's all you've got, Val, then you're going down! Drike Cannon attack!" 

"Alright, now's the time! Volcos, emerge and use your Cross Fire!" 

A red beam shot out of Val's beylade, and his bitbeast appeared. It looked like a cross between a dragon and a snake, with a long scaly body. It wore a golden helmet with a horn at the back. The beast had a pair of scythe-shaped arms without hands, and a pair of wings with deadly claws. The feathers of the wings seemed as though they were made out of ruby, just like the spikes at the ends of its two tails. Volcos had no legs, and instead hovered in the air as it let out a menacing roar. 

Volcos moved its two arms into an x-shaped cross as it turned to face Drike. The arms glowed bright red, and a beam of energy flew at the grey beyblade, meeting it head-on. Zeta's beyblade was sent flying into the opposite wall. 

"Drike, you come out as well!" 

Zeta's Drike emerged in a burst of white light, but it was unlike anything Xaleon had ever seen. It's entire body was metallic, and the beast was possibly robotic. There was a grey sphere in the centre, and in the middle of the sphere was a lens glassy black in color, possibly the being's eye. Around the lens was a thin ring of navy blue metal. Surrounding the sphere were three disembodied arms, scythe-like ending in deadly sharp tips. It turned to 'look' at Volcos eeriely. 

"Volcos, use your Rising Tempest!" 

The dragon/serpent circled around the metal eye with an increasing speed, until it was but a blur. Underneath the eye appeared a black portal. Hungry flames reached out of the hole, and seemed to be trying to engulf Drike. However, Zeta remained unfazed, and the black hole soon closed, but not before weakening Drike significantly. 

"Drike, use your Drike Cannon again!" 

"Volcos, counter with Cross Fire!" 

The two bitbeasts took up positions at opposite ends of the dish. Drike's 'eye' glowed white and fired a powerful blast at Volcos. At the same time, the other bitbeast let loose its energy beam. The two attacks collided in the middle of the dish, creating an explosion. The force sent both beyblades flying back into their owner's hands at the same time. 

~~~

Trueangel: I'm back with another chapter of- 

Leon: *shrieks* A-CHAN!!! 

Xan: Uh-oh. 

Trueangel: What happened here? 

V.K.: Um, Xan was writing in your stead. 

Trueangel: He WHAT?! *starts reading fic* 

Leon: Hoo boy, here we go... 3, 2, 1- 

Trueangel: XAN! What the hell did you bring Kenny back for?! Kenny was supposed to have been abandoned after A&D! Kenny... oh wait. I need Kenny for this fic. 

Xan: Heh. Knew I could do it. 

Trueangel: *grudgingly* And I see you've been following my character guides for Val and Zee. 

Xan: Well, aren't you gonna thank me? 

Trueangel: Thank you?! DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH THE KEYBOARD AGAIN!!! 

Xan: Hey, that's not nice! *tackles Trueangel* 

Leon: NO ONE TACKLES A-CHAN AND LIVES TO REGRET IT! *tackles Xan* 

V.K.: *mega-sweatdrops* Oh well... do review. Now, let me join in the fun... *tackles the ball of tackling people*


	3. Chapter III The Return of the Phoenix

Legend of Apocalypse 

Disclaimer: Trueangel does not own Beyblade or Leon.

~~~

Alright, I've got more stuff for last chapter's reviewers. This time, it's 2004 calendars! With pictures of Kai and Rei splashed all over them! Yeah, they're kinda late... but make good use of them anyway!

~~~

Kitsune: Nah, it's ok... I don't expect everyone to know my earlier stories. And thanks a lot for the great compliment!

SoulSister: Wow, thanks a lot! *bows* One thing I find that helps is to do a rough drawing of my characters... however horrible my art is... it helps me visualise them better. And then, it all depends on finding the right adjectives.

Rumi-chan: AAH! No weapons, thank you very much... I'm too poor to pay the lawyers if I left out the disclaimer, let alone handle hospital fees. Yup, Rei just appears at the best of times, doesn't he? Heh... thanks for the great review anyway!

Shaka Dragomir Nocturnus: Hey, don't worry, I am writing!

~~~

V.K.: You know, Trueangel, the greatest present you have for your reviewers are the chapters themselves. 

Leon: *nods wisely* 

Trueangel: Yeah... but it doesn't hurt to give a little incentive, right? 

Leon: *points at review count* It doesn't seem to be working, A-chan. 

Trueangel: But hey, it's Christmas! The season of giving! 

V.K.: My dear Trueangel, that was last month. 

Trueangel: Um... New Year? 

Leon: You don't give presents for New Year, generally. And New Year is over a week ago anyway. 

Trueangel: Um... what's the next holiday? 

V.K.: Look, it's okay if you just wanna give things for the fun of it. 

Trueangel: *shrieks* _Why didn't you say so at first?!_ *tackles V.K.* 

Leon: Sigh... after that conversation which was entirely designed for more tackling, let's get on with the fic. 

~~~

Chapter 3 The Return of the Phoenix 

"Welcome, Beyblade fans, to the finals of the Japan Tournament! The stadium is totally packed today with Beybladers ready to witness the explosive finish to this year's competition." 

"That's right, A.J. This year, we witness the return of veteran team Trinfinity. After years of settling for second, will this be the year that they finally clinch the title of champion? Perhaps, but they do have a secret weapon yet to be unleashed: a new member Xaleon, who has not battled yet for the entire tournament." 

"Yup, Brad. Also vying for gold is a new team the Soulblades, comprising entirely of new faces save for one: their captain Sylphie, an ex-member of Trinfinity. Their performance this tournament has been nothing short of impressive, with a perfect unbeaten record so far." 

"Well, who will win this year is anyone's guess, and right now the two teams are busy getting ready and selecting their first bladers. Together with Trinfinity is their coach Rei, once a world champion and the only member of hbis team the Bladebreakers that's still active in the beyblading scene. Any info on the Soulblades' coach, A.J.?" 

"None at all, Brad. He, or she or it has been registered merely as 'Wolf' and hasn't been seen with the Soulblades at all during the tournament. Perhaps our mystery person will make an appearance today if the Soulblades win, eh?" 

Rei sat on the bench of his team, not paying attention at all to the announcers. Instead, he was watching the team doing simple stretching exercises in preparation for their battles. Their order was set. Zeta would go first, followed by Val, and then Phoenix. Rei wasn't planning on using Xaleon for this match. In fact, he hadn't planned to use Xaleon at all for this tournament. It wasn't because he didn't trust Xaleon; Rei had battled with Xaleon himself and knew how good the nekojin was. Xaleon would be their trump card; the unexpected ace that would secure their victory. 

Rei looked over to the audience at the opposite end. With a start, he recognised one of the spectators in the crowd. He had unmistakable orange-red hair over a pair of cold ice-blue eyes, along with pale white skin from lack of exposure to the sun. It was, wihout a doubt, Tala. Rei wondered for a moment if he was the mysterious 'Wolf'. However, the tournament was about to begin. Rei decided to worry about Tala's presence later. Rei glanced the team. They were all ready to beyblade. Rei stood up to give them a little pep talk. 

"Alright guys, this is it. We've missed the trophy for so many years, but this year we're finally gonna touch it. I know Sylphie's gonna be tough, but she's just one blader, and if we can win our other two matches, the championship title is ours. Now go out and get that trophy!" 

"Ok, Brad, it seems like both teams are ready for the battle. Now, let's bring out our one and only D.J. Jazzman!" 

The crowd cheered as the D.J. appeared amidst theatrical smoke and fireworks. As for Rei, he was too busy wondering why A.J. Topper, Brad Best, and D.J. Jazzman were still around after 14 years. 

"For this first match, we have Z2-" the crowd cheered wildly at this point- "representing Trinfinity, while the Soulblades have sent out Aerial! Now let's unveil the dish for the first match: Spiral Maze dish! Forget about attacking your opponent; it's difficult enough trying to navigate this dish. Also, a special rule will be imposed on the entire battle: deathmatch. Deathmatch means that each pair of bladers will only battle once, so every battle is going to count. Now, it seems like our beybladers are ready. Over to you, D.J.!" 

"Alright bladers, get ready. 3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!" 

Zeta and Aerial both launched their blades at opposite ends of the dish. Zeta immediately ordered his blade to use Drike Cannon to move through the maze. 

"And the first match of the finals has started! Trinfinity's Z2 is using Drike Cannon to navigate through the maze. And excellent tactic to find the opponent without getting trapped in dead-ends. But wait, what's Aerial's beyblade doing? It's... it's floating! Aerial is flying right over the walls, and she's going to attack Z2 from the top!" 

Zeta clenched his teeth, but there was nothing he could do in retaliation except strengthen his defences. 

"Let's see how the famous Z2 reacts to this! Raptor, Sting Claw attack!" 

Aerial's light blue beyblade landed right on top of Drike. However, the grey beyblade continued spinning even after taking the blow. 

"AMAZING!" shouted Brad over the speakers. "Z2 took that killer hit easily! But how much more of Aerial's air attacks can he endure?" 

"Drike, come out now!" Z2 shouted. 

"Raptor, you too!" 

A combined vertical beam of light shot out of both Drike and Raptor, and both bitbeasts appeared at the same time. However, what Z2 saw was totally unexpected. His own Drike was crushed under the talon of Raptor, an eagle-like bitbeast with a set of deadly horns. 

"How do you like that now, Z2?" 

Zeta ignored Aerial, and shouted out to Drike instead. 

"Drike, don't give up! Try to get that bird off you!" 

Z2's beyblade tilted to one side, but the rubber tip of Raptor produced enough friction for it to stay on. Drike then tried slamming into a wall, but the blue beyblade's smaller size rendered that move useless. 

"If that's all you've got, Z2, then let's finish this quickly. Raptor, Soul Slam attack!" 

"Drike, get out of the way quickly!" 

At Aerial's command, both her bitbeast and beyblade flew into the air once more. However, before Drike could recover from the earlier attack, Raptor came shooting downwards afain, beak ready to rip through anything, including metal. The tip of the light blue beyblade crashed into the edge of the grey beyblade with such trememdous force that Zeta's entire blade was flipped over. 

"AND THE FIRST MATCH GOES TO AERIAL!" 

As Zeta walked to pick up his beyblade and return to the rest of his team, he could hear his fans' chants of "Z2! Z2!" despite his literally crushing defeat. He allowed himself a faint smile. He wouldn't be surprise if Aerial was mobbed by fangirls after the tournament. As he walked past Val, who was getting ready to battle, he spoke in a quiet tone. 

"You're gonna have to do better than me." 

"Don't worry, I will." 

Val fixed his beyblade to his shooter and walked up to the dish. He looked at his opponent, a short bespectacled boy with long silver hair. 

"Now that Trinfinity is one down from Soulblades, they can't afford to lose again if they're gonna win the championships! It seems like they have moved into an offensive stance, having selected Val for their next match. Meanwhile, the Soulblades are fielding Kloune, a young but tricky blader - very tricky indeed. Now, let's see the dish for this match: the Multi-level dish. This dish consists of three levels, connected via holes at various points of each level. Do watch out, though - once you descend into a lower level, you won't be able to get out unless you pull a stunt like Aerial's. Also, each level is smaller than the last, giving you less space to move about and evade. But it seems like our bladers have no qualms about this challenge, so over to you, D.J.!" 

"Beybladers, are you ready? 3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!" 

Val's red beyblade and Kloune's pearl white one both shot into the dish at the same time. The white beyblade immediately headed for a hole and dropped through it into the second level. Everyone could still see it through the clear plastic dish, though. 

"What's Kloune doing? He's headed straight into the second level! Well, one thing's for sure: Val won't be able to attack if he doesn't follow after Kloune!" 

Just as Brad had expected, Val immediately followed Kloune down to the next level. However, Rei wasn't so sure. Kloune wouldn't be stupid enough to trap himself in a smaller area, and he would have heard from Sylphie about Val's powerful attacks. Unless Val was the one getting trapped... 

"Val, watch out!" Rei called. "This might be a trap." 

Val merely nodded to acknowledge Rei's tip as he concentrated on the battle. 

"Alright, Volcos, hit him with a direct attack!" 

The red beyblade became merely a streak as it flew at Kloune's blade. However, the white beyblade moved at an even more astonishing speed as it effortlessly evaded the attack. 

"C'mon, Val, ya gonna hafta move fasta dan dat if ya gonna hit me!" 

Val ignored Kloune's taunting as well as everything else, blocking it all out of his mind as he concentrated on one thing: beating Kloune. 

"Volcos, increase speed and attack Kloune again!" 

Val's Volcos virtually disappeared as it tried to hit Kloune, but still the white beyblade seemingly teleported out of the way instantaneously. 

_How?_ Rei wondered to himself. _How can Kloune react so quickly to Val's attacks? It's as though he knew what Val was going to do... of course! Val's commands! There's a delay between Val issuing his command and his beyblade actually moving... that delay is long enough for Kloune to respond._

"Val, don't talk; think! Communicate with your beyblade mentally." 

"Is that possible?" 

"Of course. Did you think your beyblade can actually hear you? By voicing your commands, you're actually forming them as strong thoughts in your mind... now you just have to send those commands without saying anything." 

"Alright, I'll try." 

_Ok, here goes..._ Val spoke in his mind. _Volcos, attack Kloune at maximum speed!_

Nothing happened. 

"Wat's wrong, Val? Stuck?" Kloune taunted. 

"Stronger, Val! Feel the presence of your beyblade and communicate directly to it." 

_Feel its presence?_ Val thought as he closed his eyes. _Yes, I can hear my beyblade spinning... I can imagine its exact position in my mind... is that it? I'll try concentrating on that image... Volcos, direct attack!_

Suddenly, on the dish, Val's red beyblade headed right for Kloune's. Kloune immediately tried to move out of the way, but this time Volcos managed to brush against it. 

"Wa-?!" Kloune exclaimed, surprised. 

"That's it, Val! Now you just have to increase your speed!" 

Val nodded. 

_Volcos, head for Kloune at maximum speed!_

At that instant, Volcos literally vanished from the dish. Before anyone knew what was happening, Kloune's white beyblade was thrown into a wall. The red beyblade reappeared not far away. 

"I'd neva expected ya to get dis far... but dis juz makes tings betta! It's time ta turn da heat up! Replicat, move inta da next level!" 

Kloune's beyblade dropped through another hole into the third, smallest level. 

"Watch out, Val. He might have some tricks up his sleeve. 

Val nodded, but nevertheless followed Kloune down. As soon as he entered the third level, he was met with Kloune's beyblade suddenly appearing beside his own and slamming into it. This continued with Kloune attacking Val from various directions, and there was nothing he could do with Kloune's incredible speed. 

"Wat's wrong now, Val? Why dun ya call out ya bitbeast ta finish me off?" 

"Don't fall for his trap, Val! He wants you to use your bitbeast!" 

"I know, but there's nothing I can do now if I don't call out Volcos. I'll just have to be careful. Now, Volcos, come out!" 

Val's dragon-like bitbeast emerged, letting out a magnificient roar. 

"Dis is it! Replicat, come out and use ya Soul Steal!" 

Kloune's bitbeast appeared in a beam of white light, and it looked like any white domestic cat with green eyes. However, when Replicat leaped onto Volcos and sank its claws into the bitbeast's back, the cat started glowing bright green. Replicat then leapt off, and started to transform. 

"Wha... what's happening to Replicat?" 

Replicat's entire body elongated, and started becoming covered with reddish brown scales. It's tail split into two ends, each covered with a ruby spike at the end. The hind legs of the cat melded into the body, while the fore legs stretched into a pair of scythe-like arms. A pair of wings with rubies in place of feathers sprouted out of its back, each tipped with deadly claws. Replicat grew a snout, and between the snout and the neck, just behind its now-crimson eyes was a golden helmet with a horn at the back. Val started. It was an exact copy of his own Volcos, but he wasn't about to be unnerved by it. 

"Volcos, hit that impostor with your Cross Fire!" 

"Replicat, show him ya own Cross Fire!" 

Both bitbeasts moved their arms into a cross and fired red x-shaped beams at each other. The beams collided, creating a explosion. 

"How... argh! Volcos, Cross Fire with increased power!" 

"Replicat, Cross Fire again!" 

Both bitbeasts fired their Cross Fires at each other once more, but this time with increased power, causing a greater explosion. 

"Look, Val, this isn't gonna win you the game! His bitbeast is an exact copy of yours, so brute force isn't enough." 

"Yeah, Val," added Zeta. "A good blader knows his strengths. An excellent blader knows his weaknesses as well. Make use of Volcos' weaknesses to win." 

"Yeah, no inferior copy is gonna win over my Volcos! I know my bitbeast best." _Now, Volcos, Rising Tempest!_

Val's Volcos started circling around its opponent so fast it became a blur. Kloune tried to react, but his beyblade was trapped in the circle Volcos was creating. Flames burst out from the ground underneath, with so much power that the white beyblade was sent flying upwards, shattering the layers of plastic, and landing at Kloune's feet. 

"AND VAL WINS THE SECOND MATCH!" boomed A.J.'s voice. 

Val picked up his beyblade and walked back to his team, passing Phoenix who was getting ready for her match. Phoenix walked up to take Val's position. Across of her was Sylphie. 

"This match promises to be explosive, as we have the two team leaders and former teammates facing off to decide the winner of this tournament. Sylphie definitely has improved since last year, and she's even got a bitbeast now. Will Phoenix be able to survive under such difficult odds, or will our team of new faces head straight into the Worlds? All will be decided in a matter of minutes. Right now, our two bladers are making their final preparations for the grand finale." 

"You've got a bitbeast?" Phoenix asked such that only Sylphie could hear. 

"My business is no longer any of your concern." 

"Well, bitbeast or not, I'm still gonna win this match." 

"Don't forget that I have a bitbeast, and you don't. Once my beast is out, you're toast." 

"Yeah, well not having a bitbeast didn't stop me from beating Val and Zee during training." 

"Perhaps, but I'm far better than them even without a bitbeast, and besides, this isn't training. We'll let this match decide who's the better blader." 

"Fine." 

"Now, let us reveal the dish for this battle: Whirlpool dish! On the surface, this might look like any ordinary dish, but on it are many discs that will suddenly start spinning during the battle, sending beyblades flying in all directions. And chances are, you won't know where these discs are until it's too late. So, bladers, think you're up to this challenge? Over to you, D.J.!" 

"Bladers, get ready now. 3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!" 

Phoenix's red beyblade and Sylphie's grey one both flew into the dish, circling each other at breakneck speed. Phoenix immediately began her offensive. 

"Trinity, direct attack!" 

Phoenix's beyblade flew across the dish, right at Sylphie's beyblade. However, the grey top easily evaded the attack. 

"Now, counterattack!" shouted Sylphie. 

The grey beyblade suddenly changed direction and headed at Trinity. However, Phoenix was just as quick to evade Sylphie's attack. 

"Trinity, use-" 

Suddenly, the dish below Trinity started spinning. It was a 'whirlpool'. The red beyblade was sent flying... right at its opponent. Sylphie's beyblade was knocked into another spinning disc, and then it was sent flying across the dish. 

"Alright, Trinity, use Golden Trinity!" 

The red beyblade immediately disappeared and reappeared at another point of the dish, signifying the start of its famed killer attack. 

"Use your Torpedo Twist on the spot!" 

Sylphie's beyblade's spin speed increased tremendously, creating a tornado around it. As Trinity approached, it was thrown back by the strong winds. 

"Now, attack Trinity!" 

The grey beyblade headed for Trinity in a straight line. Soon, it was right beside it and still moving fast, ready to deliver a crushing blow. The red beyblade tried to move out of the way, but before it could do so, the disc under both blades spun, sending the two blades flying in opposite directions. 

"Trinity, use your Golden Trinity again!" 

Trinity teleported to a spot dangerously near to its opponent. However, before it could deliver its attack, the entire dish began turning in an opposite direction from the individual discs, again disrupting Trinity's attack. 

"Alright, it's time to end this battle! Silver Dragon, emerge!" 

A white beam shot out from Sylphie's beyblade, revealing the dragon bitbeast residing within. Whereas Dragoon was more of an oriental type of dragon, Silver Dragon was clearly a medieval kind, the antagonists in Western tales of chivalrous knights slaying those vile beasts and saving damsels in distress. The dragon bitbeast's entire body was covered with silver plates, gleaming in the light. It stetched out its pair of shining wings and let out a majestic roar. 

"Now, Silver Dragon, use your Storm Wings attack!" 

The dragon flapped its wings, creating strong winds that nearly swept Phoenix off her feet. However, that wasn't the worst of it. Dark clouds gathered above, blocking out most of the light. Suddenly, a white flash of thunder crashed into the ground, striking Phoenix's beyblade. Slowly, the clouds disappeared. Amazingly, Trinity had survived the attack. It was slightly charred, yes, but still spinning. 

"Hmph. Better than I'd expected. Oh well, let's see how you survive my Flame Claw attack!" 

Silver Dragon flew high into the sky, breaking through the glass ceiling of the stadium. Then suddenly, without warning, it plummeted down like a meteorite. As it fell, its claws burst into flames, and it shifted its body into a position where the claws would hit the dish first. However, at the last minute, Trinity moved out of the way, and all the potentially devastating attack did was leave black scorch marks on the dish. 

"Trinity, counterattack with Golden Trinity!" 

"Silver Dragon, Torpedo Twist again!" 

The dragon folded its wings and straightened its body into a streamlined position, then spun around at a high speed, creating yet another tornado. 

"Trinity, increase attack power! If we're gonna win, it's now or never!" 

Soon, the red beyblade was at the edge of Silver Dragon's winds. It was evident that Trinity's attack was far more powerful than before, since despite the much stronger Torpedo Twist, Trinity was still trying to push its way in, and was not thrown back like before. The inward pressure from Trinity's attack, combined with the outward pressure from Torpedo Twist, forced the wind under the blades instead, lifting them into the air. Silver Dragon landed on the ground beside its owner... and so did Trinity. 

"IT'S A TIE! The third match has ended in a tie between Phoenix and Sylphie. This means that we'll be having a fourth tiebreaker match to decide the winner. Now, let us give our teams some time to choose their players for this crucial match." 

Phoenix picked up her beyblade, then ran back to Rei and the team. 

"Dad, I'm sure I can beat Sylphie this time!" 

"No, Phoenix. You were lucky that the match ended in a tie. With Silver Dragon, she's much more powerful." 

"Hmm. I wouldn't mind whipping her ass," said Zeta. 

"Me neither," agreed Val. 

"No. I'll fight Sylphie," Xaleon said. 

"Dad..." Phoenix pleaded. 

"No. Xaleon's right. He's our best bet if we're gonna win this tournament." 

"Besides," added Xaleon, "we already had a feeling that I would be battling Sylphie someday... I guess that day is today." 

"Xaleon... take care." 

Xaleon smiled as he turned and walked to the dish. 

"Don't worry, I will." 

"Alright, it seems that our teams have chosen their bladers. The Soulblades are fielding Sylphie again, but up against her is not Phoenix but the great enigma of Trinfinity, Xaleon." 

"So we're finally battling, little kitty." 

"Oh, don't worry. Even kittens can put up a mean fight." 

"Well, let's see how mean a fight you put up." 

Over the speakers, Brad announced, "The dish for this match will be the classic dish. With no obstacles and no gimmicks whatsoever, it's back to basics for our two bladers. Over to you, D.J.!" 

"Ok, bladers, get ready. 3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!" 

Xaleon's blue beyblade and Sylphie's grey one both flew into the dish at the same time. Ice Dranzer immediately moved to the center of the dish. 

"There's no way you'll win if you don't attack! Silver Dragon, Flame Claw!" 

Silver Dragon shot at Ice Dranzer, and it's high speeds caused it to burst into flames. However, Ice Dranzer's spin speed suddenly increased, creating a shield that knocked its opponent back. The flames on Silver Dragon soon burned out. 

"Wha-?" exclaimed Sylphie. 

Xaleon tapped his finger on the side of his head. 

"I learnt a few things from Val's battle too." 

"Alright, I'm not gonna hold back now! Silver Dragon, emerge and use your Torpedo Twist!" 

The powerful dragon burst out of its beyblade and immediately started its attack, slowly gaining speed. 

_Frost Circle!_

Almost instantaneously, Silver Dragon slowed down again, and soon, it was completely frozen. 

_Icicle Spikes!_

The blue beyblade flew at Silver Dragon, and in one clean hit, knocked it straight out of the dish. 

"XALEON WINS! TRINFINITY IS THE NEW JAPAN CHAMPION!" 

The audience erupted in cheers. No one noticed Tala leaving the stadium, not even Rei, who was too caught up in the celebrations. But it wouldn't have mattered if he did. After 14 years, he was again feeling the adrenaline rush, the sweet sensation of victory. 

+++

Rei stood outside his house door and fished out his keys. The rest of the team had went out to celebrate their victory, and Rei knew it was a well-deserved break. However, he was too old for these kind of things. As such, he'd left the team to party in whatever way they wanted, and returned home first. 

Rei unlocked the door and stepped into the house. Instantly he knew something was amiss. For one, the lights were on. Rei was very particular about those kind of things, and he'd even checked himself before they'd left. Suddenly, Rei heard a sound coming from his own room. 

Slowly, Rei pushed open the door of his room and peered in. There, sitting on his bed, was a boy with long blue hair, looking at the beyblades of the Bladebreakers. Suddenly, the boy turned around to look at Rei, his hair whipping behind him. Rei stared at the boy's face, a face he had not seen for 14 years... 

"Kai?!" 

~~~

V.K.: You know, I'm really tired from all this tackling. 

Leon: Yeah, me too. 

Trueangel: Why not have a truce? 

Leon: Fine. No more tackling for the rest of this story? 

V.K.: Fine with me. 

Trueangel: Ok, so that's that. Now, after working your way through that extra-long chapter... it's time to review! 

Leon: Yup, it's time to hit that tempting button down there. 

V.K.: And until next time... um... until next time, there'll be no more tackling. 

Trueangel + V.K.: -_-U


	4. Chapter VI The Ancient Beast

Legend of Apocalypse 

Disclaimer: Trueangel does not own Beyblade or Leon.

~~~

Gosh, I really should do something about this present-giving streak of mine... anyway, this time I've got chibi Tala plushies for all of you! *hands out plushies* Though Tala fans out there won't like what I'm gonna do with Tala... therefore I have to appease them with the plushies! Enjoy!

~~~

SoulSister: Yup, Kai's back alright! *throws confetti* Kai's back, Kai's back, Kai's... uh, heh heh. Enjoy the chapter.

Rumi-Chan: Oh, Rei... _everyone_ knows that Phoenix and Xaleon are supposed to be a pair. Anyway, if you're complaining about having to wade through thick-as-cream-soup plots, there's more... Tala. Heh. Oh well, better let you continue running from that axe...

chibi_kai_fan: Heh, glad you liked this fic. Do continue to enjoy it!

Shaka Dragomir Nocturnus: Gah. I've had experiences with higher-rated fics, and I'm not gonna put them on ff.net again. But yes, the rating isn't important. Most important is how good the story is, otherwise a NC17 fic would just be PWP, eh?

~~~

Leon: So, LoA enters its fourth chapter... 

Trueangel: What's so significant about that? 

Leon: Um, nothing much really... 

V.K.: I know, why don't we recount the fourth chapters of the previous two stories? 

Trueangel: Hmm, I wouldn't agree if I wasn't so bored... oh well. Anyone remembers the fourth chapter of Angel & Devil? 

V.K.: That was before both of us. 

Trueangel: Oh yeah... heh. That was when Mariah appeared... and screwed everything up. 

Leon: Damn that bitch. 

V.K.: Hey, she's a nekojin just like you. 

Leon: Oh, in that case, umm... uh... what she did was very wrong. 

Trueangel: -_-U Okaaay... Anyone remembers the fourth chapter of Crystallis? 

V.K.: That was before the both of us as well. 

Trueangel: Oh. In that case... that was the Kai v.s. Hui battle. And Kai used Xan's beyblade to win! 

Leon: And don't forget the uber-kinky Kai/Rei lemon! 

Trueangel: How did you know about that?! 

Leon: You forget... I'm omniscient. 

V.K.: Uh... right. Now we're at chapter four of LoA: the Ancient Beast... 

Leon: So read and enjoy! 

~~~

Chapter 4 The Ancient Beast 

"Kai?!" 

"I was wondering when you'd be back." 

"Kai, wha... why... when... how did you return?" 

"I created an empty body, a vessel, on Earth, like I created Phoenix. But for Phoenix, I placed a bit of each of our souls within her, whereas I just transferred my entire soul from my angel body into this one." 

"Kai, is it... is it really you? After all these years... have you really returned?" 

"Of course I have. I'm sorry for leaving-" 

Kai was suddenly stopped as Rei had flung his arms around Kai's body in a tight embrace. 

"Kai, I've missed you so much..." 

"It's alright, love. I'm here now. I'm here for you." 

"Wait... there's something I want to give you." 

Rei walked over to his wardrobe and opened it. From inside, he took out a neatly folded scarf - Kai's scarf. He handed it over to Kai. 

"You've kept my scarf after all these years..." 

"I couldn't bear to throw it away." 

"Thanks," said Kai, as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. "That reminds me, how's Max?" 

"He's living in China with Hui now. The two of them obviously feel something for each other, but they refuse to admit it. Hui insists that he's taking care of Max only because he was partly responsible for Tyson's death, while Max refuses to forget Tyson." 

"Oh well, at least he's fine..." 

"Kai, why have you returned?" 

"Volten's back again. This time, he's staging an all-out invasion of Heaven. Luckily, I don't think he's here on Earth yet." 

"I don't understand. Why would you come here if you want to fight Volten?" 

Kai told him about the legend he had read about in Heaven. He told Rei about the Creator and Destroyer. He told Rei about the gurads of Apocalypse. He told Rei everything - except for what he was suspecting. 

"I see... but I don't get it. Am I supposed to be the Tiger Guard? What am I supposed to do? How do I fight Volten if I'm just a human?" 

"There's only one person, or thing, who can answer your questions... even I am not sure myself." 

"Who?" 

"Just follow me. Hold my hand." 

Rei gripped Kai's hand, but he didn't stop his questioning. 

""Where are we going, Kai? Tell me something!" 

"We are going," said Kai, taking a deep breath, "to Ancient Egypt." 

+++

Val and Zeta were walking home together after their little 'celebration' of their victory in the tournament. However, the partying mood had more or less faded, and the both of them were quiet as they walked through the park on their way home. It was there that Val spotted the ice-cream stand at the opposite end of the fountain. 

"Hey, Zee, want some ice-cream?" 

"Hn." 

Val laughed. 

"I'll take that as a yes. Wait here, I'll be back in a minute." 

Val walked to the other end of the fountain as Zeta sat down on a bench. As he sat, he thought about the tournament, and how he had lost so easily to Aerial. But it was all in the past now. All he could do was train even harder. And then there was the battles with Sylphie. Even Phoenix, their skilled captain, could only draw with her, but the newcomer, Xaleon, defeated her without even calling out his bitbeast. It was as though Xaleon didn't regard Sylphie as powerful enough for him to call his bitbeast. And then, without his bitbeast, Xaleon had effortlessly thrashed Sylphie. Who was Xaleon, and why was he so powerful? Right now, Zeta could only guess. 

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes near him. Zeta stood up as the figure in the bushes stepped into the light of the lamps. 

"Tala. What do you want?" 

"Look, Zeta, that's no way to talk to your father." 

"I have no father. My father left Mom even before I was born, and drove her to commit suicide when I was a child. I have just one parent: my mother Maia Zagan." 

"I'm sorry about what happened to Maia." 

"Don't deceive me with your false compassion. I've known who you were from the day Mom died - you're nothing but a heartless liar." 

"But you cannot deny that half of you is me. Look, I come to ask you a favour." 

"What do you want me to do? Steal? Cheat? Kill?" 

"No, I want you to give up the championship to the Soulblades." 

"Then I'm sorry, you have come to the wrong person. I'm in no position to do so." 

"But you can persuade and influence Rei, I'm sure." 

"Even if I had control over the team, I would never do so. Not for anyone, least of all you." 

"If not for me, then at least for Sylphie. She is your former teammate. Surely you wouldn't want to see her disappointed?" 

"Sylphie betrayed us. I do not regard her as my teammate." 

"I see... very well. I will leave, if there is nothing I can say to change your mind. But remember, I will be back." 

Tala disappeared back into the bushes just as Val came running back to Zeta, with an ice-cream cone in each hand. 

"Who was that?" 

"Nobody." 

"Look, you can tell me-" 

"Really, it's nobody." 

Zeta took a deep breath before he spoke again. 

"Come on, let's go home." 

+++

On the other hand, Xaleon and Phoenix were still pretty much 'high' as they proceeded home - nto from drugs or alcohol, but merely from the sensation of winning. 

Ever since Rei found out that Xaleon was an orphan, he had made Xaleon a permanent resident of their house. Of course, he knew that Phoenix and Xaleon were both responsible enough not to do anything stupid, so that put his mind at rest, though he did joke about it sometimes. Besides, Xaleon was grateful to Rei, and he wasn't about to betray his trust. But that didn't mean he and Phoenix couldn't be great friends - in fact, they were talking to each other right now as though they had known each other for a lifetime. 

"I still can't believe how easily you beat Sylphie," said Phoenix, laughing. 

"You should have seen the look on her face when her beyblade was sent right out of the dish." 

"And the most amazing thing is, you didn't need to use your bitbeast at all to score that victory." 

"Yeah... hey, PHoenix, can I ask you something?" 

"Yeah, sure." 

"Why did Sylphie leave the team?" 

"She couldn't stand losing to me." 

"Huh? What do you mean?" 

"Sylphie had always wanted to be the captain. However, because I was a stronger blader than her, Rei kept me as captain. It culminated to a point where we had a match to decide who would be the captain. The loser would be forced to leave the team. I won, of course. But that was before Sylphie got her bitbeast." 

"I see..." 

"How about you? Tell me something about your past." 

"I'm sorry, but I can't remember anything at all. My past is a blank to me." 

"It must be really hard, not having a past." 

"Perhaps, but I've learnt to live with it." 

It was then that Phoenix and Xaleon found themselves at the door of their house. Xaleon pressed the doorbell, and they waited for a minute. There was no answer. 

"Dad might have gone out or something... hold on, I've got a key..." 

Finally, Phoenix found the keys in her back pocket, and unlocked the door. The two of them stepped in. 

"That's strange. Dad never leaves the lights on." 

"Maybe he forgot." 

"Yeah... maybe. He's getting old." 

Phoenix and Xaleon both laughed. 

+++

"Kai, where are we?" asked Rei as he landed on soft golden sand. 

"I told you, Ancient Egypt." 

Rei looked around him, and instantly he was stunned by the magnificence of the place he was in. Towering pillars of sand supported a sand roof above him, and even on the pillars themselves were intricate carvings of heiroglyphs. The ground was made of sand. The walls were made of sand. Heck, the entire building was made of sand - fine golden sand that seemed to glitter in the sunlight that shone through a gap in the roof. 

"Kai, what is this place?" 

"An Egyptian monument dedicated to the cats. The Temple of the Sphinx. Unfortunately, it will be destroyed in a war about 800 years from now." 

"Is this _really_ Ancient Egypt?" 

"Well, if it isn't, then it certainly looks frighteningly real." 

"Sorry... I didn't know angels could do time travel." 

"We normally can't. But I learnt this from my master. He can do other cool tricks as well, like slowing time, speeding up time, stoppiung time, and such." 

"Your master?" 

"The previous Phoenix Guard." 

"Oh... what are we doing here anyway?" 

Kai sighed exasperatedly. 

"To find the only being that can tell you the part you have to play in fighting Volten. The Egyptians worshipped cats, and this was where Driger first appeared. As such, if you want any answers regarding Driger, this is the best place to look." 

"Alright, so what are we looking for? A giant statue of Driger?" 

"Actually, no. Interestingly enough, the Egyptians fashioned their symbol for Driger to look like an inverted triangular pyramid. And don't ask me why." 

"So we're looking for a pyramid in the middle of Egypt... gee, how difficult can that be?" 

"Pretty difficult. The Egyptians created hundreds of pyramid statues dedicated to all sorts of cats, and this is where they kept them. The one we're looking for has one round eye on one of its faces, and the bottom half is sectioned into three rows covered with heiroglyphs." 

"_Now_ you tell me. I guess we'd better start looking." 

"Don't worry, we have a lot of time. It's a few millenia before we even meet Volten." 

Kai and Rei both laughed at their jokes as they stepped out of the room they had landed in, into a gigantic and just as magnificient hallway. Luckily, it was empty, so there was nobody to freak out at the sight of them. Rei looked at the sides of the hallway. There were two rows of doors on either side, and above each door was a sign with some heiroglyphs on it. The whole setup looked eeriely like a... 

"Kai, can you read heiroglyphs?" 

"Well, I can roughly guess by looking at the pictures. Why?" 

"This area looks like an archive or something. I think in each room is a shrine to one of the cats, and the sign on each door tells us which cat." 

"Well, it seems like it... but the problem is that there are only domestic cats, cat-headed humans, and things like that. No tigers." 

"That's what were here for. To search." 

As Kai and Rei walked down the long hallway, Rei began to notice something suspicious. There was no one around, no one at all. Kai had said that the Egyptians worshipped cats, so the temple should have been full of pious worshippers. Rei decided to ask Kai about it. 

"Kai, don't you find this place unusually empty?" 

"Now that you mention it, yeah." 

"This feels like a setup..." 

"But that's impossible! No one knows we're here. Perhaps it's a special day. Maybe everyone's gathered in the temple of the eagle or something." 

"Yeah... maybe." 

Kai and Rei stopped as they had reached the end of the hallway. Before them was a door more beautiful than the rest, if it was possible, and above the door was a picture of a tiger-headed man. 

"Is this the place?" asked Rei. 

"I don't know. Let's go in." 

Kai pushed open the doors and stepped in. The room was very large, but at the same time very empty. At the far end of the room was a pedestral, and on the pedestral was a pyramid that looked exactly like the one Kai had described. 

"I think that's the one. Walk closer to it." 

Rei took a step forward, and the pyramid started glowing white. 

"Kai, what's happening?" 

"Don't worry, it's okay. Go ahead, touch the pyramid." 

Rei nodded at Kai, and walked closer to the pyramid. As he did so, the light grew brighter, to the point where Kai was blinded by the light. Nevertheless, Rei could see the pyramid clearly. Finally, he was standing before the pedestral. He closed his eyes, reached out with his right arm, and touched a tip of the pryamid, and instantly he felt the world around him changing... 

Kai looked at the pyramid. The light had faded, and Rei was gone. Kai took a deep breath, and spoke to himself in a soft whisper. 

"How I wish it wasn't you..." 

+++

Rei opened his eyes, and found himself in a Japanese-styled dojo. There were no doors, but Rei could just break through the paper and wood panels anyway. On one of the walls hung a row of weapons, including everything from a spear to shuriken (throwing stars) to swords. Rei walked over to admire the weapons, but before he could reach the wall, he saw a figure materialize at the opposite end of the room. 

Rei turned around and walked closer to have a closer look. When the light surrounding the figure faded, he could see the face of the person clearly. He was shocked to find that the person looked exactly like he did 14 years ago. 

"Who... who are you?" 

"Don't you recognize me, Rei? I am Driger." 

"Then aren't you a bitbeast in the form of a white tiger? Why do you look exactly like my younger self?" 

"Once I was your bitbeast. I served you, and in doing so I became like you and acquired your likeness. But 14 years ago, you stopped beyblading, and thus I stopped changing as well." 

"!4 years ago? Aren't we in Ancient Egypt?" 

"Us bitbeasts are 4-dimensional creatures, which means we can travel through time just as easily as you can travel forward, backward, sideways, and up or down. Unfortunately, this affects our sense of time, so what happens thousands of years in the future would seem as though it happened 14 years ago to me." 

"Alright, that's a bit beyond my understanding... anyway, I'm here because I have a few questions, and Kai told me that you can give me answers." 

"I know. I have been waiting for you. Ask, and I will try my best to answer your questions." 

"Ok... what is my role in the war against Volten?" 

"This is no ordinary war. This is Apocalypse. And you, you are the Life-Bringer, the Tiger Guard. You will fight against Volten, but more important is your task to rebuild the world after the war is over." 

"But I don't even know what to do! I don't even know where to begin." 

"Do not worry, you will learn as you proceed. But then again, fate is as fluid as water." 

"That means I might not be the Tiger Guard after all?" 

Driger smiled. 

"No matter how much you stir the surface of the water, the currents will not reach the deepest parts of the ocean." 

"Huh?" 

"Don't worry, we will let fate decide for now. But meanwhile, I will have to test your worthiness." 

"MY worthiness? To be the Tiger Guard? And what kind of test?" 

"Your worthiness to receive a powerful weapon I have for you that will help you greatly in the fight against Volten. We shall have a duel. See those weapons on the wall? You can choose any of them." 

Rei turned to look at the weapons. It wasn't long before his eyes fell on his weapon of choice. He walked over to the wall and picked it up. 

"The flail? An interesting choice. The flail is one of the more difficult weapons to wield, especially since it has a higher tendency to hit yourself." 

Rei shrugged. 

"I guess it's because I grew up watching Bruce Lee's martial arts movies and all his neat flail moves." 

"Perhaps. As for me, I will use my claws." 

Driger clenched his fists in front of his body, and a pair of three claws, one set on each hand, burst out from between his knuckles. Immediately, Driger rushed at Rei, his claws ready to deliver a powerful blow. 

+++

Kai stared at the glowing pryamid, a clear look of boredom on his face. Rei would be gone for a while. Kai reached into his pocket and took out a small portrait of Rei that he had drawn himself during his free time, while he was in Heaven. It was not an expertly drawn picture, but it was still passable, and it had kept Kai company during those long nights when his mind kept wandering back to his beloved Rei. Seldom did a night pass when Kai did not miss Rei. Kai didn't regret his decision to become an angel, but he couldn't help feeling guilty about leaving Rei. Well, he was back now. He'd let the future take care of itself. For now, he wanted to enjoy whatever time he had with Rei. 

As Kai's eyes wandered to the door of the room, which they had left open, Kai saw a priest walking by in a hurry. Instantly, Kai noticed that the priest looked strangely familiar. No, it couldn't be... but Kai had to make sure. If it was who it suspected him to be, them Kai had to find out why he was here. Kai walked towards the door, but suddenly turned back as he remembered Rei. He looked at the pyramid as his mind fought with itself over whether to wait for Rei or to follow the priest. 

"Rei'll be gone for a while," Kai finally said to himself, before running out of the room. 

+++

Rei ducked barely in time, and Driger's claws dug into the wall. However, Driger quickly pulled his claw out and took another swipe at Rei. However, this time Rei was more prepared and knocked Driger's arm away with a swing of his flail. 

"Your reaction speed is not bad, but you'll need more to defeat me!" 

Driger attacked Rei with his other arm, which caught Rei by surprise, but he quickly sidestepped to avoid getting hit. Rei then tried to hit Driger with his flail, but the wildly swinging stick missed and Rei ended up smacking himself in the face. 

"Told you the flail was a difficult weapon." 

"Argh, what the heck." 

Rei hurled his flail at Driger, causing Driger to duck to avoid it. Making use of that distraction, Rei sent a kick flying at Driger's chest, but Driger quickly caught Rei's foot and twisted it, sending Rei twirling to the ground. Driger stood above Rei, ready to pin him down with a claw, but Rei quickly rolled aside. He then jumped back onto his feet and punched Driger in the face. This time, the blow hit, and Driger was sent staggering backwards. Rei followed up with na kick that knocked Driger to the ground. However, before Rei could make use of his advantage, Driger had stood up again. 

"You're getting better as you fight. Now, try a bit harder!" 

Driger sent both his fists flying at Rei, but Rei managed deflect one and evade the other. However, what Rei missed was Driger's upward jab with his knee, which hit Rei's stomach and knocked him backwards. Driger then sent his foot at Rei's chest, but Rei copied Driger's earlier move, sending Driger to the ground. With a backflip, Driger was on his feet once more. Driger then catapulted himself into the air, before coming down with his claw ready to strike Rei. Rei bent backward to avoid the blow, but ended up falling on his back. Quickly, Rei grabbed onto one of Driger's legs in midair with his own legs, and sent Driger falling to the ground. This time, Rei was ready to take advantage of the situation. He rolled over to beside Driger and clutched Driger's throat with his hand. 

"Good. You have won. I concede." 

Rei released his grip on Driger. Almost immediately, Driger jumped onto his feet and sent a punch at Rei. Rei was taken aback at the sudden assault, but responded just in time with a kick that sent Driger back to the floor. 

"What did you do that for?" asked Rei. 

"Unfortunately, not all opponents fight honourably," replied Driger as he stood up. "That is why you must be alert at all times, even when the battle seems over." 

"I see." 

"Well, I believe I should give you this." 

A small glowing light appeared in front of Driger. Driger caught it with his hand, and when the light faded, Rei saw that it was a bit chip. 

"Go on, take it." 

Rei took the bit chip from Driger. Instantly he felt a burning sensation on his right arm under his sleeve. When he lifted his sleeve, he saw a symbol that looked like the letter 'n' burnt onto his skin like a tattoo. However, the two ends of the symbol curved together before curving away again to each form a near-complete circle. 

"What is this?" 

"This is the bit beast Leo. It's power depends on your courage in battle. The symbol on your arm marks you as the owner of Leo, and it will only respond to you unless you give it away, in which case the tattoo will disappear." 

"I see." 

"Even if you want to use your Driger bitbeast, you can use the Leo bitbeast to boost your Driger. The attack of Leo can also be combined with Driger's to form a new, more powerful attack." 

"Is there anything else?" 

"That's about it. It's time for you to return. Close your eyes." 

Rei closed his eyes, and once more he felt the world around him changing again... 

+++

Kai followed the priest through a long path of hallways and corridors, and he was turning here and there so much that he was afraid he was gonna loser his way back. Nevertheless, now that he was here, he had to follow the priest. He had to know. 

Suddenly, the priest turned around a corner. Kai hurried forward, but when he turned, the priest was gone. Luckily, he had left the door of the room he had entered open. Kai walked in. Inside, he saw the priest standing in front of a pedestral, with his back torned to Kai. However, Kai could clearly recognise the priest. His suspicions were confirmed. 

"Volten?" 

The priest turned around. It was Volten all right. 

"Kai? What are you doing here?" 

"What I am doing here is none of your business. More importantly, what evil scheme are you up to now?" 

"I won't interfere in your business if you don't interfere in mine." 

Volten reached behind him and picked up a small object on the pedestral, too small for Kai to see clearly. However, Kai did notice a faint glowing on Volten's right arm under his sleeve, which quickly faded. 

"What's that?" 

Volten didn't reply. Instead, he smirked, and soon vanished. 

"Volten!" 

Shaking his head, Kai walked up to the pedestral. Carved into the sand was a symbol that looked like the letter 'm', excemt that at the end there was a curve out and upwards forming a semi-circle. Kai mentally noted the symbol. 

+++

Rei opened his eyes, and found himself back in the sand room. However, Kai was gone. But before Rei could ponder too much on that, the pryamid representing Driger glowed faintly. Rei turned around to look at the pyramid as it shrunk, and finally fell onto the pedestral. It was a bit chip, with the picture of the pyramid on it. Rei picked it up before going out of the room to look for Kai. 

+++

Kai ran back to the room Rei was in, praying that he could find the room, and praying that Rei would still be there. Distracted by his own thoughts, Kai turned around a corner and- 

**_BANG!_**

Kai massaged his hurting forehead, and looked up at the person he had knocked into. 

"Rei?" 

"Kai? Where did you go?" 

"I saw Volten." 

"Volten? What's he doing here?" 

"I don't know. He was after something in this temple. I noticed a symbol in the room containing the item, but I don't know what it means." 

"What's that devil up to know?" 

"How about you, Rei? What did Driger tell you?" 

"I'll tell you later. Right now, we need to find out what Volten's up to and stop him." 

"But how? I don't even know what that symbol means." 

"I think I know someone who can help." 

"Who?" 

"The Chief." 

~~~

Leon: Ooh, Volten is back! 

Trueangel: Yup, our unkillable, un-get-rid-of-able devil is back. 

V.K.: Time travel?! This sounds so... platitudinous. 

Trueangel: Do you _even_ know what 'platitudinous' means? 

Leon: I know! It means- 

Trueangel & V.K.: Shut up. 

Leon: Meep! O_O 

V.K.: Good. Oh well... review. 


	5. Chapter V The Reunion of Lovers

Legend of Apocalypse 

Disclaimer: Trueangel does not own Beyblade or Leon.

~~~

As an early Valentine's Day gift, I'm giving you people posters of Kai, in a black suit and black pants, holding in his arms Rei, in a (surprise!) white bridal gown, and the both of them riding into the sunset on the back of a white tiger. Isn't that just _sooo_ cute? *drools* Heheh... may you have many happy hours staring at the poster!

~~~

Rumi-Chan: You've got a VS600?! I want one! The latest model, if you don't mind... and I think everyone else wants 'em too, right? (Everyone else: Yeah!) So there...

Shaka Dragomir Nocturnus: I'm sure new chapters make many people happy. Well, without further ado, here's yet another new chapter!

~~~

Trueangel: I've realised that it's actually more than 14 years between Kai's departure and this story, since the 14 years start from the end of Crystallis when Rei is 21. Therefore, I say that Rei was 15 when Kai left, making it a nice 20 years between then and this story. Ignore any mistaken numbers before this... but henceforth, any errors are delibrate. 

V.K.: That's so underhand, dictating Rei's age... 

Trueangel: Well, I _am_ the writer, so I _can_ dictate the period of the story. 

V.K.: Yeah yeah, author's rights and all that... 

Trueangel: Anyway, I'm sure 20 is an easier number to remember than 14. 

Leon: Not when you have 14 plastered everywhere else. 

Trueangel: Ah well, in time people will get used to 20... meanwhile, enjoy this story! 

~~~

Chapter 5 The Reunion of Lovers 

Rei appeared right above his bed in his room, and fell down onto the soft mattress. Kai, however, didn't have such a smooth trip back. He appeared a metre to the left of Rei, and landed on the hard floor instead. 

"Ouch... Rei, you really should get carpet instead of marble for your room." 

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't expecting you to appear, much less us having this adventure." 

"You said we were going to look for Chief?" 

"Yeah, but it's late now. We'd better go tomorrow." 

"So where do I sleep tonight?" 

"I guess you could squeeze onto my bed..." replied Rei, giving Kai a playful wink. 

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" asked Kai, smiling. 

"Well, the guest room is occupied." 

"By whom?" 

"Phoenix's friend, and one of the bladers on our team." 

"You team? You mean you have a team?" 

"I'm just the coach. Phoenix is the captain of the team. Sometime ago we recruited a new member, and when I learned that he was an orphan, I decided to let him stay here." 

"Well, I want to meet him, and Phoenix as well. It's good to know what my koi's been up to all these years." 

"'Up to'? You make it sound so bad. You can meet them, but I'll just go outside to see where there are. They might be frightened by your sudden arrival." 

Rei walked out of the room, to see Phoenix and Xaleon watching television. Phoenix immediately turned around to look at Rei. 

"Dad? When did you get back? We didn't hear you enter." 

"Umm, Phoenix, Xaleon, there's someone I want the two of you to meet." Rei turned back to the door. "Ok, Kai, you can come out." 

Kai walked out of the room. 

"Kai, this is Phoenix and Xaleon. Phoenix, Xaleon, this is..." 

Rei trailed off as he noticed that Kai and Xaleon were staring at each other. 

"Kai?!" exclaimed Xaleon. 

"Master Xaleon?" 

"He's your _master_?!" exclaimed Rei. 

"Umm... can someone fill me in on what's happening right now, 'cause I don't get a thing," asked Phoenix. 

"Alright," said Rei after a long pause. "I think we should have a talk to explain things. Especially the two of you," said Rei, referring to Kai and Xaleon. 

Rei, Kai, Phoenix and Xaleon gathered around the dining table. They all sat down, and for a moment, they just stared at each other. Finally, Kai broke the silence. 

"Master Xaleon, why did you come to Earth right after Volten attacked? Everyone believed that you had died in battle, but I had seen your powers and knew you were still alive. So why did you come to Earth?" 

"I'm tired of all the fighting. I do not and cannot believe that devils and angels were created to be enemies. I don't want to fight until I know why we are fighting. That's why I came to Earth, to escape from the fighting and to hopefully find a reason." 

"Well, I can tell you the reason you, and the rest of us, should all fight. This is Apocalypse, and Volten is the Destroyer." 

"You mean...?!" 

"I have come to search for the other Guards of Apocalypse and the Creator, in order to defeat Volten." 

"I see. In that case, I will gladly help you to fight." 

"Umm... can someone tell me what's going on? Who's this Volten guy? What's this talk about angels and devils, and Apocalypse?" 

Rei and Kai took turns to explain everything to Phoenix, starting from they time they first found out about the angels and devils from Dreamer. As they did so, Phoenix's mind began to reel. When the two of them finally finished, she was bursting with questions. Finally, her mind settled on one to ask first. 

"If Xaleon was an angel, them why does he have cat ears now?" 

"My power was not enough to complete my human body then, so I borrowed some energy from the Tiger Guard. This is the unfortunate outcome." 

"But you've gotta admit, they look kinda cute," said Kai. 

"Perhaps. Anyway, what are you going to do now?" 

"We just went to Ancient Egypt to talk to Driger and confirm Rei's identity as the Tiger Guard. There, I saw Volten. He seems to be after something. We're going to see an old friend to try and identify what it is, and we'll decide from there." 

"speaking of our meeting with Chief, it's pretty late know. We'd better get some rest," said Rei. 

"Yeah," agreed Xaleon as he yawned, suddenly realizing how tired he was. "I'm going to sleep now. See you people in the morning." 

The others stood up as well and headed to their own rooms, with the exception of Kai, who had decided to take up Rei's offer of sleeping together with him, whether Rei was still agreeable or not. 

"Good night, people," said Rei. 

"Good night," echoed the remaining three. 

+++

Kai sat beside Rei as Rei drove to Kenny's shop. Rei was feeling very nervous, anticipating what Kenny's reaction would be after seeing Kai after so many years. Well, at least he didn't tell Kenny about Volten and all. He didn't want to have to explain it all over again, but he couldn't help but feel that it might slip somehow. 

"We're here," Rei announced at last, as he finished parking the car. 

Rei and Kai got out of the car and entered Kenny's shop. Immediately Kenny looked up from behind the counter, where he was working on a beyblade. 

"Hi, Rei! And Kai's here too! How have you been, Kai? I haven't seen you for, I don't know, 15 years?" 

"I've been fine," replied Kai, slightly taken aback at Kenny's unusually warm greeting. 

"So what can I do for you? Have a beyblade that needs fixing? Or something else?" 

"Actually, I was wondering whether you could identify a sign I saw in Ancient Egypt," said Kai. 

"Ancient Egypt?" 

"Erm, he means in a pic-" Rei tried to explain. 

"No, Rei. We should explain everything. We need as much help as we can get. But don't worry, I'll do all the talking if you don't want to." 

"Thanks, Kai. I'll just go outside for a while, get some fresh air. Tell me when you're done." 

Rei walked out of Kenny's shop, onto the street. Reaching inside his pocket, he pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. Placing a cigarette in his mouth, he lighted it before putting the lighter back in his pocket. Rei inhaled the smoke deeply as he thought about his relationship with Kai. Yes, he had missed Kai greatly, and was ecstatic when Kai returned, but did he still love Kai? well, initially there wasn't a moment when he wasn't thinking about Kai, but lately his life had been going along pretty well. No, he hadn't forgotten Kai, and he would never do so, but at least he had come to accept that Kai was just a memory. But now that Kai had returned... Rei wasn't sure anymore, about him and Kai. He couldn't just continue loving Kai after 20 years as though nothing had happened. He... he needed time to love Kai again. 

"Rei Kon." 

Rei turned around to the rough direction of the voice. He saw Tala walking towards him. 

"Tala?" 

"Tsk. Only half-correct, Kon. For someone who has been possessed by me before, I'd thought you'd get it correct." 

"Volten." 

"Close, but not entirely right. You see, because Tala has accepted me into his mind, we are able to co-exist in the same body, and I can combine my skills with his." 

"Cut the crap. What do you want?" 

"I know that Kai has returned to Earth. Where is he?" 

"Over my dead body I'm telling you." 

"Oh no, I'm not going to flare up and kill you, at least not until I know where Kai is. But I have various torture methods..." 

"Volten, I challenge you to a battle. If you can win, then I'll tell you where Kai is. But if I win, you get lost." 

"'Get lost'? Is that all? You don't want me to stop my invasion, or at least save Tala? Are you sure the smoke hasn't gone to your brain?" 

"Yes, all I want to you to do is to leave us alone. So do you accept my challenge?" 

"Of course. But before we start, let me do a little something..." 

Volten snapped his fingers. Rei didn't notice anything different, but he could feel something had changed. 

"What tricks are you up to now?" 

"Oh, nothing much. I just stopped time, so that no one will interfere our battle." 

"Well, let's get started already," said Rei impatiently as he took out his Driger. "Get ready!" 

Volten took Tala's Wolborg out of Tala's pocket, and Rei could notice that it was an improved version. 

"3, 2, 1," shouted Volten. "LET IT RIP!" 

Rei's grey beyblade and Tala's white Wolborg both flew onto the sidewalk. The white beyblade was headed straight for Driger. 

"Driger, emerge and use your Tiger Roar!" 

The white tiger burst out of Rei's beyblade with a deafening roar. The sound waves caused Wolborg to shake for a while, but it quickly regained its balance. 

"Those old tricks aren't going to work! Now, I'll show you my X-Weapon!" 

As Wolborg headed towards Driger, it suddenly split into four beyblades, appearing to Driger's left, right, front and back. The four Wolborgs closed in on Driger, slamming into it on all four sides. 

"Driger, use your Tiger Claw!" 

Rei's bitbeast lunged at one of the Wolborgs with a massive paw, ready to crush it. However, that Wolborg was just an illusion, and Driger's paw hit the ground instead. Meanwhile, the sign of Leo on his arm burned, as though it was trying to tell Rei something. Volten laughed at Rei's failed attack. 

"There's no way you can win with such pathetic moves! X-Weapon again!" 

Wolborg once again appeared on the four sides of Driger, and closed in for a crushing blow. However, Rei was more concerned with the searing pain on his arm, which was unbearable. 

**__**

=Flashback= 

"This is the bit beast Leo. It's power depends on your courage in battle... Even if you want to use your Driger bitbeast, you can use the Leo bitbeast to boost your Driger. The attack of Leo can also be combined with Driger's to form a new, more powerful attack." 

=End Flashback= 

"Now, let me reveal my greatest creation yet! Cyber Wolborg, emerge!" 

A green light shot out of Wolborg, and Rei saw a greenish net in the shape of Wolborg, like a computer model of Wolborg. 

"Cyber Wolborg, use your Cyber Infinity!" 

Cyber Wolborg divided into a large number of copies that surrounded Driger. They all charged at the same time. 

"You're dead, Rei." 

"I don't think so!" 

Rei took a glowing bit chip out of his pocket. Leo. He pointed Leo at Driger, and a golden beam shot out, striking the bit beast. Rei could feel the lion's power and courage flowing into him. 

"I'm fighting for Kai, Volten, so my courage will not fail me. Driger, Pride of Tigers!" 

A stampede of weird-looking beasts, with lion manes and tiger stripes, appeared behind Rei. They ran across the battlefield, trampling on the army of Wolborgs, and knocking Cyber Wolborg back into Volten's hand. 

"So, you have an astro beast as well..." 

"I won, Volten. Now get lost!" 

"Very well. But I will be back." 

Volten jumped into the bushes and disappeared into the foilage. At the same time, Kai emerged from the shop in time to see Volten's retreating figure. 

"Rei, was that Tala?" 

"No. It was Volten, controlling Tala." 

"Volten... what's he doing here?" 

"Nothing much. He just wanted to know where you were." 

"I see..." 

Just then, Kai noticed the cigarette in Rei's hand, which had stopped burning for a while when Volten had stopped time. 

"You smoke?" 

"Err... yeah." 

"Why?" 

"Because of you. Do you know how difficult it was for me to live without you?" 

"I'm sorry. But I'm back now, so please try to quit, okay?" 

"Do you think I've never tried? But each time I do, I start feeling tense and uneasy... and I start hallucinating... about you." 

"I'm really sorry... I just wanted to save you, and-" 

"No, you don't need to apologize. I understand. I can only blame myself for being too weak... for being a burden..." 

"No, Rei, you're not a burden! I've never hated having to look out for you and help you. It's my duty. Anyway, you're fighting together with me now, right? You-" 

"Please, stop. I... Let's just go in and see what the Chief has." 

Rei walked into the shop, while Kai lingered a bit longer. He could smell the distinct smell of cigarette smoke in the air, despite it being an open place. Finally, he sighed, and went in as well. 

Kenny looked up from his laptop as both Rei and Kai entered. 

"Kai's told me about Volten and everything. And the sign he described to me, I suspect it's the sign of Scorpio, the constellation." 

"Scorpio? Driger gave me a bit beast, Leo. And there's the mark of Leo on my arm." 

Rei pulled up his sleeve to show Kenny and Kai the tattoo. 

"That's the sign of an astro bit beast," said Kai worriedly. 

"Why? What's wrong? Volten mentioned it as well... what is it?" asked Rei. 

"I've heard about them," replied Kenny. "They're a group of bit beasts that are really powerful, more powerful than the bit beasts of the Bladebreakers." 

"The astro beasts are a group of 12 bit beasts that were created at the start of this era. They are named after the 12 constellations. Individually, they are already more powerful than most bit beasts. But when they are brought together, they will unlock the forbidden bit beast Tria. Tria was the Destroyer, locked away by the 12 astro beasts at the end of the last era. It possesses enough power to destroy the universe. Destroy as in nothing, nothing at all left. No Creator, no Apocalypse, nothing." 

"But I have Leo." 

"That's why we're safe. Volten cannot summon Tria if he doesn't possess the marks of all 12 bit beasts. But you must _never_ give Leo away. Since Volten cannot snatch it from you without your permission, he will torture you, attack those close to... you..." 

"Oh my god, Phoenix! Tala... Tala knows about Phoenix, he was at the tournament..." 

"Phoenix... where is she?" 

"She was at home when we left." 

"With Xaleon?" 

"Yeah." 

"Once Xaleon taps into his angelic energy, he has enough power to protect Phoenix, so she should be safe. But we'd better go home to be safe." 

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys soon, then," said Kenny. 

"Wait, Chief, I have one request," said Kai. 

"What is it?" 

"I want you to recreate Dranzer and Draciel." 

"Why?" asked Rei. 

"The Legend of Apocalypse. We need the four Guards." 

"But the two bit beasts have been destroyed... and Tyson..." 

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that. But Chief, can you recreate the beyblades?" 

"Yes. Just give me about a week." 

:"Thanks. We'll be leaving now." 

"See you soon!" 

"Yeah, bye." 

+++

Rei's car pulled into the garage of his house, and he turned off the engine. Kai began to get out of the car, but Rei stopped him. 

"What is it, Rei?" 

"I... I need to talk to you about something." 

"You can talk to me about anything." 

"Kai, I... I think we should break up." 

Kai was stunned. For a long moment, there was no sound except for the humming of the door as it closed. After what seemed to Rei to be infinity, Kai finally found his voice. 

"Why? Is it about you smoking? Look, I don't hate you for that, I just hope you will quit, that doesn't mean that-" 

"No, that's not it, Kai." 

"Then is it about me having to save you then? God, Rei, that was two decades ago! Anyway, I'm-" 

"Please, Kai, will you let me explain? It's... it's because we're both different people now. You've changed, and I've changed." 

"But why does that have to affect anything? Look, if it's a habit, attitude, or whatever about me that you don't like, you can tell me, and I'll try to change." 

"No... because we've changed, I cannot love you for the same reasons as I did then. I need to rediscover why I love you. This doesn't mean that we're breaking up permanently. If, one day, I realize that I love you, whether for the same reasons as before or not, then we'll be together again. But if not..." Rei trailed off. 

"I... see." 

"I really hope you do, Kai. I... I need time to learn to love you again." 

"Alright. But I'll still be there to look out for you and protect you, and you can come to me whenever you need help. If not as lovers... that I hope that we can work together at least as friends." 

"Yeah. I'd appreciate that." 

"Now, let's go check on Xaleon and Phoenix." 

Kai and Rei walked up the stairs to the main part of the building. After a brief search, they found the two of them in the study, working on their schoolwork. 

"Hi Dad, hi Kai. You're back." 

"Yeah, we went to see Chief," said Kai. "Xaleon, could I talk to you about something? Outside." 

"Yeah, sure." 

"I'll... I'll just stay with Phoenix," said Rei. 

Xaleon followed Kai as they walked out of the study, into Rei's room. Kai shut the door before speaking. 

"Xaleon, I believe that Volten is after the astro beasts." 

"The astro beasts? Oh no..." 

"Don't worry, Rei has one of the astro beasts, so we're still safe. The problem is, Volten might attack people close to Rei in order to force Rei to give up Leo, so I need you to protect Phoenix." 

"Sure thing." 

"I know you gave up your life as an angel, but please, don't hesistate to use your angel powers if you need to." 

"Don't worry. I won't let my pride jeopardise Phoenix's safety." 

"Good... that's all." 

"Wait a moment, Kai, I have something to ask you." 

"What is it?" 

"Is everything alright between you and Rei?" 

"Why? Yeah, everything's alright, you don't need to worry," Kai lied. 

"You of all people know that we cannot fail in defeating Volten. Letting personal affairs threaten our fight is a foolish thing to do." 

"I know." 

"Alright, let's return to the others." 

+++

Phoenix watched as Kai and Xaleon walked out of the study. When the door of the study closed, she spoke to Rei. 

"Alright, what happened?" 

"Why? What happened?" 

"Oh please, don't lie to me... it's so obvious something happened between you and Kai. The two of you seem rather cold towards each other. Was it something to do with the Chief?" 

"Oh, no, not the Chief." 

"Then what?" 

"Don't worry, it's nothing we can't handle ourselves. You just worry about your boyfriend Xaleon." 

Phoenix blushed multiple shades of red and kept silent. 

"Oh yeah, there's something I want to give you..." 

Rei fished inside his pocket and took out the bit beast of the pyramid. He handed it to Phoenix. 

"A bit beast?" 

"Yeah. With Volten around, you can use the bit beast to protect yourself." 

"Thanks. What's the bit beast's name?" 

"I don't know, it doesn't have a name. It's a pyramid that represents Driger... why don't you name it?" 

"A pyramid Driger, huh. I'll just call it Drymid then." 

"Well, then Drymid it is." 

The door of the study slid open, and Kai and Xaleon entered. Rei suddenly grew silent. 

"So, err... what do we do now?" asked Phoenix. 

"We need to gather the four guards of Apocalypse. I'll be going back in time to revive Tyson," answered Kai. 

Rei raised an eyebrow. Kai could revive people? But then again, he shouldn't be surprised. Kai could travel through time, what was there that he couldn't do? 

"Um, Rei... do you want to, well, come with me?" 

"I'll... I'll just stay here. Just in case Volten comes after us." 

"Alright." 

Kai closed his eyes, and mumbled an inaudible incantation. Rei watched as Kai slowly faded away. When Kai was gone, Phoenix and Xaleon both started speaking at the same time. 

"Alright, _what_ happened?" 

+++

Kai opened his eyes. He was at Tyson's funeral. The first thing he noticed was Max standing near the back, sobbing uncontrollably. Comforting him was Hui. Rei stood slose by, gripping his own scarf so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Tyson's grandpa, father, Kenny, the White Tigers, and Mr. Dickenson were also present at the funeral. The priest stood in front of Tyson's coffin, praying for Tyson. Sighing, Kai closed his eyes, and worked another spell. 

When Kai opened his eyes again, everything had stopped, as if they were frozen, captured in a still picture. Well, everything except Kai. His time-stopping spell had worked, but it would only last for a short while. Kai had to get to work fast. He walked to Tyson's coffin. Prising the lid open, he looked at Tyson's face. The undertaker had only been mildly successful at hiding the tortured look on Tyson's face at his time of death. Kai took Tyson's hand in his own and began his powerful Rebirth Flame spell. 

"Flames of the Phoenix, give forth life, let this soul have a second chance..." 

Kai felt as though his body was on fire as his power welled up within him. Magical sparks danced around his fingers, and the energy started flowing into Tyson. 

"Tyson Kinomiya, open your eyes, let the flame in your heart blaze again!" 

Kai could feel Tyson's fingers twitch. Slowly, Tyson opened his eyes, and his stormy orbs stared into Kai's crimson eyes. 

"Kai? Wha... the last thing I remember was Max... Max! Volten was controlling him, we have to-" 

"Relax, Tyson. Max is fine. You... you were killed." 

"I'm dead? Then..." 

"I just said that you were killed, I didn't say you're dead. It's a really long story, but basically after you were killed I and Rei defeated Volten. Fast forward two decades, Volten returns, and I go back in time to revive you." 

"You're right, it's a long story. I don't get it... but Max is okay, right?" 

"Yeah, he's fine, though he still misses you a lot. He-" 

Kai's legs suddenly folded and he almost collapsed to the ground, if not for Tyson's quick reflexes. 

"Kai, are you okay?" 

"Yeah... it's just that all this time manipulation and reviving is really tiring." 

"You'd better rest." 

"Yeah, I'd better take you back to my time... oh wait, there's something I need to do first." 

Magical energy shot out of Kai's hand into the coffin. It took the form of Tyson's body. kai then closed the lid, so it looked at though nothing had changed. 

"This feels really weird," said Tyson. 

"I suppose it is. Hold my hand." 

Tyson did as he was told, gripping Kai's arm tightly. 

"Alright, close your eyes, we're returning to my time." 

Kai lifted hius time stop spell and started his time travel. When Tyson opened his eyes, he found himself staring right into the amber orbs of Rei. 

"AAH!" both Tyson and Rei screamed at the same time. 

"Calm down, the both of you," said Kai. 

"Geez, Kai, you need to pick a better place to appear..." grumbled Rei. 

"Rei! You look so different," said Tyson. 

"Well, duh. I'm 20 years older." 

"Rei, where's Xaleon and Phoenix?" asked Kai warily. 

"They went out together. Don't worry, they're both able to defend themselves. Moreover, xaleon's promised to call if they get into any trouble." 

"Xaleon? Phoenix?" asked Tyson, confused. 

"Phoenix's my daughter, and Xaleon's her b... friend." 

Suddenly, Kai collapsed again, but this time Rei caught him. 

"Kai, what's wrong?" 

"He's fine, Rei," answered Tyson. "He's just tired after all the magic he's been doing." 

"Oh Kai... you should have rested if you were tired. Don't do this to spite me." 

"Spite you?" asked Tyson. 

"we, umm, broke up not long ago," replied Rei. 

"Listen, Rei, I need to talk to you about something. Even though we've broken up, we still need to work together to defeat-" 

The doorbell rang. 

"Tyson, take care of Kai. I'll just go see who's at the door." 

Rei walked out of his room to the door of his house. Outside was Hui and Max. 

"Hui! Max! What are you doing here?" 

"Hi, Rei!" greeted Max. "We just flew over from China last night, and wanted to give you a surprise visit. It's your birthday next week, remember?" 

"Yeah, but you didn't have to come all the way here..." 

Rei trailed off as he noticed Hui and Max focus on something behind him. He turned around to see Kai, supporting himself against the wall. 

"Kai?!" shouted Hui. "I thought... wha... what are you doing here?" 

"Hi Hui, hi Max... what a coincidence, we needed the both of you..." 

"What do you mean? I-" 

Max suddenly stopped as Kai's legs buckled again. Tyson ran out to support Kai, and only after that did he notice the people at the door. 

"Max!" 

Max took a step back. 

"No... it can't be..." 

"Max, it's me, Tyson!" 

"But I... I killed you, I..." 

Max twisted around and ran. 

"Tyson, as much as I'd like to find out what the hell you and Kai are doing here, I've got to go find Max before he gets lost or something. I'll be back later." 

"No, wait!" 

Tyson let Kai slump against the wall, before bursting out of the house after Hui and Max. 

"Not exactly the reunion I'd expected..." said Kai. 

The phone rang. Rei went to pick it up. 

'Hello? Xaleon? ..._What?!_ Where are you? ...I'll be right over." 

"What happened?" asked Kai. 

"Xaleon and Phoenix ran into Sylphie. Phoenix's battling Sylphie right now." 

"Sylphie?" 

"I'm not sure, but I suspect she's working for Tala." 

"Alright, I'll go-" 

"No, Kai, I'll go alone. you stay home and recover. You talk about working together, but there's no way you're gonna ven work in your current state. Please, if not for me, then for everyone else who cares about you, get some rest." 

"But..." 

"Don't worry, I'll be safe, so relax." 

"Well... alright. But take care." 

"Yeah, I will. I'll be back as soon as possible." 

With that, Rei ran out of the house. Kai looked on as he breathed heavily. 

~~~

Leon: Gosh... that's so chaotic... 

V.K.: So many cliffies... 

Trueangel: Just the way I like it. 

Leon: *sweatdrops* 

Trueangel: What? Isn't suspense good? 

V.K.: An overdose is never good. 

Trueangel: Well then. everybody start drafting your wills, 'cause there's only more suspense from now on. 

V.K.: Oh no... 

Leon: Sigh. Oh well, review the chapter. 


	6. Chapter VI The Story of Zeta

Legend of Apocalypse 

Disclaimer: Trueangel does not own Beyblade or Leon.

~~~

Alright, reviewers, this time I've got you people Kai action figures! Pose him in any way you like... heh heh heh. This is just part one of an entire set of action figures, so watch out for the rest... but meanwhile, enjoy!

~~~

Rumi-chan: Wow! *hugs VS800* Heh... Volten, you are gonna die horribly... *laughs evilly* (Volten: O_O!!) Uh, was my evil side showing again? Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

Shaka Dragomir Nocturnus: _You're_ gonna cry? Sorry, V.K. beat you to it... *hands V.K. another box of tissues* But if this story is another cliched romantic story, Rei and Kai will get together in the end. **_If_**...

SoulSister: Yeah, I admit, the story is in a mess now. Don't worry, I promise to settle everything by the end of the story. This chapter might provide some links or it might make things worse, I dunno. Let's wait and see...

~~~

Trueangel: Gosh... is it the sixth chapter already? 

Leon: Yup. 

Trueangel: Oh no, this is gonna be a VERY long story... six chapters and the real action hasn't started yet. 

V.K.: Not to mention your especially long chapters. Longer than previous chapters, anyway. 

Leon: In that case we'd better rush into the story... don't wanna keep your fans waiting, do we? 

Trueangel: Yeah, I guess not... well, let's begin. 

~~~

Chapter 6 The Story of Zeta 

Tyson ran after Hui and Max, his muscles pumping with every move of his legs. Soon, his training as a beyblader paid off as he caught up with Hui. Max, though, was still far ahead. 

"Hui... why is Max acting like this?" asked Tyson, between huffs. 

"He's assumed that you were dead for 20 years. What other reaction would you expect?" 

"Well, if he'd yelled 'Ghost!' before he bolted, I might have understood better..." 

"You don't understand. Max loves you a lot, so much so that he can tell that you are real. I know because I've seen it in him all these years." 

"Yeah, he's been living with you, right? Kai told-" 

"Don't bring him in, I haven't even started on him yet. Suddenly returning after two decades..." 

"You mean Kai's been missing these few years? Boy, there's a lot I've been missing out on... Rei and Kai breaking up as well..." 

"Rei and Kai broke up? They're the last couple I'd expect to see separated..." 

"Me too. I was so surprised when Rei told me." 

"But then again, Rei's changed a lot. He would never forget Kai, but his love might have waned." 

At that point, Max swerved into a playground. Tyson and Hui turned as well, to see Max ascending the stairs of a slide. Tyson stood at the bottom of the slide and shouted to Max. 

"Max, please, come down!" 

"Why do you keep haunting me? Go away!" 

"What do you mean? I'm Tyson, Max. I know you still love me, so why are you running away from me?" 

"I've been trying so hard to forget Tyson... forget that I ever killed him... forget that I ever knew him... but he just keeps haunting me! I can't forget... go away!" 

"No, you didn't kill me. Volten did! Now, come down, and we'll get rid of Volten together." 

"Volten! Are you making Tyson haunt me? _Stop messing with us!_ Please, I beg of you, _stop_..." 

"Yes, we're going to get rid of Volten, all of us. You, me, Rei, and Kai." 

"Kai... Kai died too to save me! Everybody is dying for me... _I don't deserve it!_ Why, why must everybody die... and why can't I forget? Why do they still keep haunting me? You, Tyson, why do you haunt me?" 

"Because I love you. And because you love me too." 

"I... love... you?" 

Tyson saw Hui appear behind Max. Apparently he had climbed the steps as well. Hui put his arm around Max's shoulder as he spoke in a soothing voice into Max's ear. 

"It's ok. Max... this is the real Tyson, not a figment of your conscience. Tyson has really returned." 

"Tyson... returned?" 

"Yes, he has come back. Remember how much you used to love him? You still do, don't you? And so does he." 

"I love Tyson." 

"Yes. No Volten, no deaths... just you, Tyson, and your love for each other." 

"Tyson... Tyson, you've really come back?" 

"Yes, Max. I'm real and alive," said Tyson. 

Max slid down, and looked into the beautiful midnight eyes of Tyson. Tyson... 

"Max, I love you." 

Max stood up, and Tyson held him close in a tight embrace, even as Max choked on his own tears. 

"I'm back now, Max... I'm not going away again..." 

"Tyson... why did you leave so many years ago?" 

'Because of Volten. And now, we're all going to fight Volten. We'll settle our scores with him once and for all." 

Max reached up with his one hand and brushed Tyson's navy blue locks aside, to gaze into those stormy orbs once more. 

"Tyson, I don't want to lose you again." 

"I won't leave you. Never." 

+++

"Hello, Rei? We were attacked by Sylphie, Phoenix's trying to hold her off now. ...We're somewhere along Black Street. ...Yeah, get here soon." 

Xaleon put down the phone and walked back to where Phoenix and Sylphie were battling. With her bit beast, Phoenix's power matched Sylphie, and The two of them were not holding back as they fought with all their might. Xaleon had initially wanted to get rid of Sylphie himself, but Phoenix had insisted that she fight Sylphie, and Xaleon understood that Phoenix had a score to settle with Sylphie after the tournament. But Phoenix had said nothing about calling Rei, and Xaleon didn't see anything wrong in getting some help. 

"Sylphie... why are you attacking us?" asked Xaleon. 

"Shut up, stupid kitten. This battle is between me and Phoenix. You stay out of this." 

"Yeah, Xaleon, please. Now, Drymid, attack Soul Dragon at full force!" 

"Just because you have a bit beast doesn't mean you're gonna beat me! Soul Dragon, counter it with your own attack!" 

The two beyblades crashed into each other, and the impact threw both backwards, cracking the pavement at the same time. 

"Golden Trinity!" 

Drymid's triangle slowly closed in on Soul Dragon, but Sylphie had prepared for that. 

"Torpedo Twist!" 

Soul Dragon spun on the spot at an incredible speed, and as Drymid approached, it was thrown back by the force of the spin. 

"Now, Soul Dragon, attack Drymid!" 

Soul Dragon made a beeline for Drymid, who was still shaken after its last attack. However, it recovered in time to avoid the possibly devastating attack. 

"Soul Dragon, attack again!" 

Soul Dragon again flew at Drymid, but this time it was a clear miss. 

"Xaleon! Phoenix! What happened?" 

Xaleon turned around to see Val and Zeta running towards them. 

"Rei told us you two were in trouble, and since we both live nearby..." explained Val. 

"Sylphie. We were walking when all of a sudden she attacked us." 

"Sylphie, huh?" Zeta took a step forward. "Sylphie, stop it!" 

"Oh, how nice of you to come watch, Zee..." 

"Sylphie, what do you want?" 

"You know what I want." 

"If you're referring to what Tala said, then forget it!" 

"Then that's a pity... we'll just have to resort to other means." 

Suddenly, Zeta heard two cries from behind him, one of pain and one of shock. Turning around, he saw Xaleon on the floor, his leg bleeding. Val was held around the neck by Tala. When Zeta turned again, Sylphie's beyblade was back in her hand. 

"It's a trap!" 

"Bingo, genius," said Tala. 

"Let Val go!" shouted Zeta. 

"You'll find your precious friend beside you as soon as you fufill your task. But if you take too long... I can't guarantee his safety." 

"What are going to do with him?" screamed Zeta, his tone turning hysterical. 

"I don't think you want to find out... well, we're leaving now. You know what to do." 

Tala leapt onto the roof of the nearest house and ran off, with Sylphie following right behind. Not long after they were gone, the sound of Rei's car came tearing down the street. 

"What happened?" asked Rei as he jumped out of the car. 

"It was a trap! Tala kidnapped Val," explained Zeta. 

"Xaleon's injured! Can you help him, Dad?" 

Rei frowned as he looked at Xaleon's leg. 

"It's broken. We need to send him to the hospital. Phoenix, help me get him into the car." 

Phoenix supported the left arm of Xaleon while Rei supported the right, and they both managed to get Xaleon into the back seat. 

"Phoenix, Zee, the two of you wait at my place. I'll be back as soon as possible." 

"Dad, I-" 

"No, Phoenix, go home. I'm afraid that they might go after Kai next, and it's better to have more people helping him." 

"Alright. You take care of yourself too, ok?" 

"Yeah, I will, so don't worry. Once I'm sure Xaleon is safe I'll go back." 

"Ok. Bye, Dad." 

"See you later." 

Phoenix and Zeta walked off in one direction, as Rei drove off in the other. 

+++

The four Bladebreakers, Hui, Phoenix, and Zeta all gathered in Rei's house. Rei and Kai had explained the situation they were in to all of them, especially to those who didn't know anything about what had happened yet. However, one thing still puzzled all of them. If Volten was after the astro bit beasts, why did he kidnap Val but leave Phoenix alone? 

"I just don't get it," admitted Kai, after thinking for what seemed like forever."With his skills, Volten in the body of Tala could easily defeat and capture Phoenix. Why would he instead ask Sylphie to battle Phoenix to lure Val out, them capture him instead? If I were Volten, I would rather use myself or Phoenix to force Rei to give up Leo, especially since me and Phoenix could be captured easily." 

"He probably didn't go after you because he didn't know you were weakened and didn't want to risk losing to you," explained Rei. "But Phoenix... you're right, there's no reason why he captured Val instead." 

"I think I know why," said Zeta suddenly. 

"I remember him talking to you about something you had to do... what is it?" asked Phoenix. 

"Tala is the coach of the Soulblades," said Zeta. 

"well, I guessed as much, seeing him at the tournament that day," said Rei. "But still, why would he go after you?" 

"That's not all... Tala is my father." 

"What?!" exclaimed Tyson. 

"I think I should start from the start. Since I was young, Tala trained me to become the best beyblader. I didn't mind, since I loved beyblading. But when I was five, Tala and BioVolt created a new bit beast. Soul Dragon. Since I was the best blader they knew at that time, I immediately became the one to test Soul Dragon. Unfortunately, Soul Dragon was so powerful that I couldn't control it at all, and it caused serious damage to the BioVolt facility. Tala left my mum and I. Later, he genetically created Sylphie, such that she could easily control Soul Dragon. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to tap into Soul Dragon's full potential... only 20% of Soul Dragon's power." 

"Only 20% and it's already so powerful?" exclaimed Phoenix. 

"Yeah... we've got to be careful of Sylphie," conceded Rei. "But why didn't BioVolt create someone wo could maximise Soul Dragon's power?" 

"After that, Tala was transferred to another project, the Wolf Project or something. There was no one left to follow-up, so it was left as that." 

"Why didn't you say anything when Sylphie joined us?" asked Phoenix. 

"I didn't know why she was there... maybe Tala was using her to spy on us. Maybe Tala just wanted to know how I was doing. I decided to leave her alone as long as she did nothing against us." 

"But why did he kidnap Val?" asked Kai. 

"Recently, after the tournament, I saw Tala. He wanted me to persuade the team to forfeit our victory. He might be using Val to force me to do so." 

"If we forfeited the match, then the Soulblades will get to go for the World Championships..." said Phoenix. 

"But that doesn't help Volten get the astro bit beasts," added Tyson. 

"Unless..." Kai began. 

"There is an astro bit beast existing in the present," Hui guessed. 

"Yes, that's it. Then, by using the team's status as Japan champion or World champion, he could find the blader who has the astro bit beast," finished Kai. 

"We can't let Volten get the astro bit beast," said Rei. 

"But we can't leave Val alone either! Val... he's my friend," said Zeta. 

"I know, Zeta... Val is my friend as well," said Phoenix. 

"No, you don't understand... Val is the only person I ever trusted, after what happened with Tala. Moreover, he's the only one I can look upon as an equal," Zeta cried desperately. 

"But how can we save Val and yet at the same time not let Volten get any astro bit beasts?" asked Tyson. 

"We trick Volten," said Hui. 

"What do you mean?" asked Kai. 

"Look, Volten's objective is to get the astro bit beasts, right? So it doesn't matter which bit beast he gets, as long as he get's an astro bit beast, he'll let Val go," said Hui. 

"That's brilliant! But of course, we're assuming that Volten doesn't fully understand the power of the astro bit beasts, and that he's a devil of his word," said Kai. 

"Yeah. But it's the best chance we've got." 

"Excuse me, can someone fill me in on what's happening here?" asked Tyson. 

Aries, the lamb, and Capricorn, the ram. The two bit beasts are connected to each other. You can use one to summon the other, and even if it was previously attached to someone else it immediately belongs to the person who summoned it," explained Kai. 

"Alright, anyone knows any legends involving sheep?" asked Hui. 

"No, Kai's still weak. We need to let him rest before we search for Aries and Capricorn," said Rei. 

"Rei's right, I can't work any more magic right now. Moreover I'm waiting for something from Chief," agreed Kai. 

"Well, just don't wait too long," said Zeta. "I can't bear to think of what will happen to Val..." 

+++

Xaleon lay on his bed in the hospital, staring at the ceiling. It had been a couple of days since the attack. His leg was better, but it still was a long time before it recovered fully. Phoenix had visited him everyday, but she didn't tell him anything about what they were doing about Val. Xaleon didn't want to ask; he was just glad that Phoenix was safe. Moreover, Phoenix was probably still pretty upset about the whole incident. 

Xaleon moved himself into an upright position, but winced as a sting shot up his leg. It still hurt whenever he tried to move it. For a moment, Xaleon missed the healing powers he had as an angel. But that was behind him. He was a human now. Yes, he would fight Volten, but as a human, as a beyblader. He wouldn't use his powers unless forced to in a life-threatening situation. 

There was a knock at the door. 

"Phoenix? Come in." 

"No, it's me," said Kai was he walked into the ward. 

"Oh, it's you, Kai." 

"Would you rather it have been someone else? Phoenix, perhaps?" 

"Er... I..." 

"You love her, don't you?" 

"Well, maybe a little bit..." 

Kai snickered. 

"_'A little bit'?_ Who are you trying to kid, yourself?" 

"I don't know... I'm just afraid that she might get involved with this fight against Volten. I don't want to put her in danger." 

"She's already involved, Xaleon. With her being Rei's daughter, the attack on Val, and her existing feud with Sylphie... she can't escape. The least you could do is to admit to yourself that you do love her, then protect her in a way that is worthy of your love." 

"I'm already looking out for her, Kai, but I'm not strong enough. Look at what just happened with Sylphie. And now that I'm injured..." 

"Maybe she needs an astro bit beast to protect herself." 

"_No!_ I don't want her to be in any more danger than she already is." 

"Would you rather have an astro bit beast yourself?" 

"I don't know... but if it'll help me protect Phoenix..." 

"Well, I'll see what I can do." 

"Oh yes, what about Val?" 

Kai told Xaleon everything the rest of them had discussed about the other day. 

"It'll be risky trying to trick Volten," said Xaleon at last. 

"Yes, but like I told the rest, it's the best plan we have." 

"Let's just hope Volten doesn't know about Aries' and Capricorn's abilities." 

"You know, I wonder if Volten knows the special powers of all the astro bit beasts..." 

"Yeah. First there's Leo's Pride ability which increases attack power based on the blader's courage. And there's Scorpio's Poison ability which increases the damage dealt by attacks as time goes by." 

"Aries and Capricorn work as a pair and they have other abilities besides the summoning ability. Aries has 'Guardian' where the blader sacrifices himself to boost Capricorn, while Capricorn has 'Knight' where it takes damage for Aries." 

"There's that archer one... oh yeah, Sagittarius. Its Sniper ability gives perfect accuracy to all attacks. And Taurus has Rush, increasing the speed and power of attacks." 

"Pisces has the unusual Dive ability, right? It allows the beyblade to disappear while attacked. And Aquarius uses Drown, where both bladers are damaged." 

"Gemini has an interesting ability as well, Twin. The beyblade can turn into two beyblades. And Libra has Balance which drastically improves the endurance of a beyblade." 

"There's Cancer's Clamp which allows it to attach itself to a beyblade and attack continuously. And last but not least is Virgo's Virgin. Even though it can only be used by a virgin maiden, the ability sacrifices the blader to launch a devastating attack." 

"And besides that, the bit beasts' power can be increased further by using it to boost another bit beast's attack. For example, Twin used on Phoenix's Golden Trinity creates what, Golden Hexagon?" 

Kai laughed. 

"Maybe. But anyway, now Rei has Leo, and Volten has Scorpio. If this trap works out, we'll have Aries and Capricorn. That leaves us with eight more bit beasts to find." 

"I just want to recover as soon as possible, so that I can help you guys." 

"You sure about that?" 

"Why?" 

Kai put his hand on Xaleon's leg. Immediately Xaleon could feel magical energy flow into him. It was just a little, though, not much." 

"What did you do?" 

"Just a simple regeneration spell, not much. It'll help your leg heal faster, but not so fast that people begin suspecting things." 

'Thanks. And about your training..." 

Kai smiled. 

"I was wondering when you'd remember." 

"Before I left, you managed to tap into 30% of Crystallis' energy. How far are you now?" 

"The same. I tried tapping into more of Crystallis once, but I nearly lost control. It's far too dangerous using Crystallis without safety precautions. Even now I avoid using Crystallis as far as possible." 

"I guessed as much. Your breathing is irregular and belaboured. It must be tiring manipulating time to collect the astro bit beasts, and to revive Tyson. But Crystallis is probably the only power that can defeat Volten, especially now that he's after the astro bit beasts, and you're probably the only person who can even use Crystallis without losing control." 

"I guess so. But it's really difficult trying to control Crystallis. Too bad there isn't another way." 

"Listen, before I came to Japan, I was in China for a while. I went to the place where you had your last fight with Volten, and judging from the damage, oyu probably used about 50% of Crystallis' power. That's why I think..." 

"That under the right conditions, I can safely tap into 50% or more of Crystallis' power?" 

"Bingo." 

"Well, I don't know... We won't be able to tell until such conditions appear." 

"Yeah... we'll just have to train the old way." 

"So we resume training once you've recovered?" 

"I don't know. Now that I've relinquished my powers, I won't be strong enough to keep you in check. But don't worry, I'll find a way out somehow." 

Kai glanced at his watch. 

"I've gotta leave now... I'll see you again sometime, okay?" 

"Yeah." 

"And maybe next time I'll bring Phoenix along." 

Xaleon blushed, and Kai laughed as he walked out of the ward. 

+++

The four former Bladebreakers sat in Rei's car as he drove to Kenny's shop. Kenny had just called some time ago, telling Kai that he had finished work on the two beyblades. With the two adults sitting at the front and Tyson and Kai, who looked like teenagers, at the back, they looked like a gay couple with two children, as Rei had noticed. 

"Remember, if anyone asks, we're a family. That's our disguise whenever we're travelling together outdoors," he had said. 

"Why do I have to be the child?" grumbled Kai. 

"That's because you look like one," Rei replied. "While the rest of us were growing up, you were frozen in time in your Neverland." 

"That's not true. Angels grow too, just much slower. And Tyson doesn't look grown-up to me." 

"But I'm not complaining about it, unlike you, sourpuss." 

"Stuff yourself with food, fat slob." 

"Freeze to death, ice king." 

"They haven't grown up physically, and I doubt if they've matured mentally either," Rei remarked to Max. 

Max smiled. 

"Pig-for-brains." 

"Loner." 

"Food-crazy zombie." 

Tyson paused. Yeah, he could get the 'food-crazy' part, but was 'zombie' necessary? 

"Kai... that was a bit under the belt," said Rei, as he noticed Max turn away. 

"I know. I'm sorry," admitted Kai. 

"Nah, it's okay. Can't blame you since you're a cold bastard," replied Tyson, smiling. 

"Speak for yourself, fat slob." 

"You lose! You've called me that already." 

"Oh man... have I?" 

"Alright, cut it, kids. We're here," said Rei. 

The four bladers stepped out of the car and walked into Kenny's shop. Kenny looked up from the counter. 

"Hi Chief!" greeted Tyson. "Gosh, you've grown." 

"Tyson? How..." Kenny asked incredulously. 

"Told you I'd handle it. You finished the beyblades?" asked Kai. 

"Yeah. I couldn't resist making some improvements, though," replied Kenny. 

"Still the same old Chief," said Tyson, smiling. 

Kenny took out the two beyblades he had made and passed them to Kai. Holding Draciel in his hand, Kai walked over to Max. 

"Max, I don't want to foce you to fight, so I'm asking you first. Are you willing to fight with us against Volten?" 

Max nodded. Smiling briefly, Kai grasped Max's hand and placed the green beyblade in Max's palm. 

"Thanks, Chief. Thanks, Kai," Max said softly. 

"That's not all," said Kai. 

Kai held out his two hands and started muttering an incantation. Magical energy built up at his fists. The light they gave off gradually grew more and more intense, spreading out from within Kai's clenched hands. The white light slowly turned red on one hand, and purple in the other. Finally, the light started fading. After a while more, when the magical energy has dissapated, Kai opened his hands to reveal the bit chip of Dranzer in one hand, and Draciel in the other. Kai passed Draciel to Max. 

"Wow..." Max murmured. 

"Oh yes, in my spare time I created a single-hand shooter. I want you to use it, Max," said Kenny as he passed his creation to Max. 

"Right, now you can fight back and defend yourself if you run into any trouble," said Kai to Max. 

"Now we've gotta find Aries and Capricorn," said Tyson. 

"I'll go with Tyson and Max. Rei, you stay here to look after Phoenix and Zeta. We'll-" Kai noticed the frown on Rei's face. "Don't worry, Rei, I still have enough energy. Moreover I have two of your best friends looking after me, so you can relax." 

"Yeah... I guess so," conceded Rei. 

"Okay. Tyson, Max, hold on to my hands." 

The two beybladers obeyed. 

"Alright, this might feel a bit weird, because we're going back in ti..." 

Kai's last words faded off together with him, Tyson, and Max, as they disappeared. 

~~~

V.K.: The hospital scene looks so staged. 

Trueangel: No one asked for your opinion. 

V.K.: O_O 

Leon: I... got injured? 

Trueangel: Not you, Xaleon. 

Leon: It means the same thing. 

V.K.: Why do you have to keep throwing plot complications in? 

Trueangel: That's the only way to write a long story. 

Leon: Weren't we complaining that this story was too long? 

V.K.: Yeah, I distinctly remember that. 

Trueangel: Um... ^_^" 

Leon: Oh well... just review the story. 


	7. Chapter VII The Two Phoenixes

Legend of Apocalypse 

Disclaimer: Trueangel does not own Beyblade or Leon.

This chapter makes use of Christian religious symbols. If you are offended by such material, please do not read further. You have been warned.

~~~

Alright, this time round I'm giving out Max action figures... but these action figures are those kind of old plastic stuff where the parts easily fall apart, so be careful you don't lose an arm. Lose an arm, get it? (Tyson: That's not funny, Trueangel.) Erm... gomen nasai, Max-kun... *hands out Max action figures*

~~~

Rumi-Chan: Xalenix! Hahaha! Go Phoenix/Xaleon! Eh, wait... I'm the author here... get lost, butcher knife. *Butcher knife disappears* Heh, special powers of the writer...

Just-some-girl1: Alright, here's the next chappie, then! Enjoy!

LoneWolfStar7: *random rant on ff.net's NC17 ban* Gah... but this fic is gonna be 100% lemon-free! There can be such a thing as a Vitamin C overdose, you know... so we'll all stay off that stuff for a while, yah?

SoulSister: You flatter me... heh, hope you enjoy this chapter just as much! *grins*

Shaka Dragomir Nocturnus: Ooh, another nice review... not that I'm complaining, but I'm wondering what's it like to get a flame... hopefully, I'll never know. ^__^

~~~

Trueangel: Oh boy, we're in the seventh chapter, and this story isn't even half done... 

Leon: Um... am I supposed to complain? 

V.K.: Just leave Trueangel alone... you're going mad over the amount of work, right? 

Leon: You should have anticipated this long ago, A-chan... 

Trueangel: Gee, what a _great_ help the two of you have been. 

V.K.: Thank you. 

Trueangel and Leon: -_-" 

Leon: Um... let the chapter begin? 

~~~

Chapter 7 The Two Phoenixes 

Kai, Tyson, and Max opened their eyes to find themselves standing in front of a cave. 

"Kai, where are we?" asked Tyson. 

"We're in Israel, 300 years after the death and rebirth of Christ." 

"Christ? Oh, I get it... Christ the lamb." 

Kai smiled. 

"Yeah. This is about the only legend involving a lamb that I could find." 

"And... this is the tomb of Christ?" 

"Yes. And I think you'd better follow Max, he's already entered the cave." 

Tyson turned around to find Max missing. He quickly ran into the cave. 

"I'll just keep guard outside here, in case someone- or something- comes," Kai shouted after Tyson. 

+++

After a bit of running, Tyson caught up with Max. The path within the cave was fairly simple in that there weren't any junctions, but it was a long and winding path. After a period of silence, Tyson decided to start a conversation with Max. 

"So, Max... how have you been all these years?" 

"You saw me the other day at the playground. What do you think?" 

"Look, Max, I really don't blame you for-" 

"No, it's ok. I don't... I... just don't talk about it, okay?" 

"Well, alright... so you've been living with Hui for the past few years?" 

"Yeah." 

"So... how's life with him?" 

"Ok, I guess. Though he can't help with what I was facing, he still tries, and I thank him for that." 

"I've noticed that Hui is pretty caring towards you." 

"Hui blames himself for not stopping what happened years ago. He's just trying to appease his guilt by helping me." 

"But now that I'm back, his blame is lifted, right?" 

"it's not that easy, Tyson. The fact is, what happened years ago still happened. Though I'm feeling better now, what I felt then cannot be changed, and Hui's guilt arises not only out of how I'm feeling now, but also from what I had felt." 

"It's all so confusing..." 

"Then don't try to understand it. I like you the way you were, Tyson, simple and uncomplicated." 

"Weren't you once like that too?" 

"What has happened has happened, and I cannot pretend to be as innocent as I once was. But you still have a chance. You have not experienced the horrors of life that is only seen with years of experience. Cherish your innocence, Tyson." 

"Gee, you sound like some kind of authority or philosopher talking to me..." 

"Perhaps it's because I've been marred by life, whereas you, however, has remained pure in death." 

"There you go again..." 

"If you don't understand, it's okay. When you can understand what I said, then you should weep, for your childhood is over." 

The two of them stopped as they reached the end of the cave. At one corner was a simple wooden coffin, but it was open. There was a lamb walking about in the cave, it's fleece giving off a faint white light. 

"So you have come, Tyson and Max," said the lamb. 

"Who are you?" asked Tyson, slightly taken aback by the fact that the lamb could speak. 

"You need not know who i am. All you should know is that I possess Aries. But the time has come for a new guardian of Aries to be chosen. So which of you shall be that one?" 

"It doesn't matter. One of us will get Aries, and the other Capricorn," replied Tyson. 

"You are wrong, it matters. The lamb is a symbol of sacrifice, sacrifice for the ones you love, for what you believe in, and for the greater good. For it is said that it is more blessed to give than to receive, thus whoever gives shall be blessed with Aries." 

"But in the end, won't we still use it for the same purpose? Aries, Capricorn, what's the difference?" 

"Oh, the difference is great, as you shall see when you grasp the characters of the beyblades. But meanwhile, why don't we have a beyblade battle to see who is worthy of Aries?" 

"Now you're talking my language," replied Tyson, smiling. "So who do you want to battle first, me or Max?" 

"Oh no, you don't quite understand. I mean that the two of you battle, such that I can see which amongst you is more worthy." 

Tyson turned to look at Max. 

"No, I can't battle Max... give Aries to Max, then." 

"It's alright, Tyson. We'll just battle. After all, it doesn't matter who gets Aries, so we'll just take this as practice." 

"You mistake me. This is not just practice. This is a battle for your lives. Either you leave this cave with Aries, or you don't leave at all." 

"What?! Then give the bit beast to Max, and we'll both go." 

"No, I insist. You must battle. If you don't battle, then both of you shall perish." 

"You!" 

"Tyson... we'll just battle. Let's just battle first, and talk later, okay?" 

"Max, we promised never to leave each other..." 

"Yas, But we have no other choice. Battle with all your might, Tyson, such that when one of us wins, we can seek solace in the fact that we both put in our best." 

"Enough talking, let's get moving. Prepare your blades, the two of you." 

"Max..." Tyson called out as me put his Dragoon on his launcher. 

"Just concentrate on the game," replied Max. 

"3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!" 

+++

Kai sat down on the grass beside the cave and looked up into the clear blue sky. White fluffy clouds floated past, their cheerfulness not at all close to what Kai felt in his mind. He watched as a bird flew by, and for a moment he wished that he were a real phoenix, such that he could just fly away and not have to face what he was facing. Instantly Kai caught himself dreaming an old and impossible dream. Countless humans had wished the same thing before. Countless poets and writers had used that expression, to the point that it was cliched. But they all went on living their dull, dreary lives. Kai was already lucky that he was embroiled in such a battle. Many people would have given anything to be in his situation. Kai smiled wistfully as he thought of yet another cliched expression. The grass on the other side was always greener. What Kai wouldn't give to just live normally... 

Unconsciously, Kai's mind wandered to his relationship with Rei. He couldn't say that their relationship was in ruins, at least they were still friends fighting side by side. But it wasn't what Kai expected. Kai laughed a bittersweet laugh as he realised the absurdity of his thoughts. What did he expect, then? That Rei would just welcome him back as though nothing had happened? In Heaven, Kai didn't realise how much time had actually passed. To him, it seemed like a month at most. But seeing the tired and weary expression on Rei's face, Kai realised that he had been gone for two decades. Of course Rei would have grown up and lived his own life. What right did Kai have to expect Rei to need him forever? He should have been thankful that Rei still felt something for him, and was still willing to love him. Kai could not demand that Rei instantly start loving him. Just like it took time for them to build up their relationship the first time, Kai had to give Rei time to build up their relationship again. 

Kai looked up as he noticed a white wisp floating in the air. He stood up. Was it Volten? Slowly, the wisp grew, gradually adopting a humanoid form. It started to solidify, and Kai thought it looked vaguely similar. He was right. The wisp turned into Xan. 

"Xan?" Kai asked incredulously. 

"Kai? What happened?" 

"I should be the one asking you that question." 

"I don't know... after I died, I felt my soul wander though time and space. I don't know how long it was, but finally I was drawn to this place. I lingered here for a long while, but when you came, I felt myself become more real... more alive. Then I saw you." 

"Perhaps my arrival might have triggered something..." 

"I'm not sure..." 

"Xan, what's that in your hand?" 

Xan looked in his right hand. In there was a bit chip. 

"I don't know. It just materialised with me." 

"It's the bit beast Gemini." 

"But... I don't have the mark..." 

"Do you think someone, or something, might have used you to give it to me?" 

"Because we are twins..." 

"But, we're not a legend... right?" 

"Unless we will be... or already are... but I guess I'll just give it to you, if that's what I'm supposed to do." 

Xan placed the bit chip in Kai's hand. Instantly, Kai felt a searing pain. But it wasn't a pain that was concentrated on his arm or anywhere that the mark might appear; it was a pain that shot through his entire body and wrecked his every nerve. Kai screamed as he felt his body being torn apart. 

+++

Tyson's white beyblade and Max's green one both flew into the center of the room. Dragoon made a feeble attempt to attack Draciel, but it was far less than enough to break through Max's defences. 

"Please, Tyson, fight harder!" 

"No, Max... I can't let you die." 

"I'm old and a much weaker beyblader than you, whereas you are still young and still have your life ahead of you. If I were forced to choose, I'd rather you live. Having seen you alive, I can die with no regrets." 

"No, Max, don't say that! Nobody's going to die!" 

"It's the only way, Tyson. If we are going to save Val, this is the only way." 

"But Max..." 

"Tyson, if you're not willing to attack me, then I'll do it for you. Draciel, attack Dragoon!" 

The green beyblade headed for Dragoon and knocked into it. However, being a defensive beyblade, Draciel did not inflict much damage on Tyson. Instead, it came out weaker due to Dragoon's powerful attack ring, strong enough even when it was not on the offensive. 

"Max, what are you doing?" 

"I'm forcing you to win, if you're not going to do it yourself. Draciel, attack again!" 

"Max, stop it! I don't want you to die... Dragoon, absorb Max's attacks!" 

Dragoon moved backwards as Draciel headed towards it. When the two beyblades collided, Dragoon's movement lessened the damage on Draciel. This time, it was Dragoon that was knocked back from the attack. 

"Fine, I have other ways. Draciel, attack the wall!" 

"The green beyblade flew at the wall at a tremendous speed. The impact was so hard that it left a crack on the stone. Draciel was clearly weakened from the attack. 

"Max, don't..." Tyson cried, almost pleading. 

"I'm sorry, Tyson. It's the only way. I don't ever want to leave you, and I know I promised you that... I'm sorry." 

Tyson watched, a tear rolling down his cheek, as Draciel slammed into the wall again. The green beyblade wobbled for a while before coming to a complete stop. As though mourning with his master, Dragoon too gradually stopped spinning. 

"So, Tyson wins," said the lamb. 

"Some kind of win that was! How could you-" 

"Please, Tyson, let me explain. That was a test to see which of you is more willing to sacrifice for the other. This is important as Aries and Capricorn work as a pair, there Aries sacrifices itself for Capricorn and Capricorn protects Aries. I'm sure that you love Max just as much, but Max has shown his willingness to sacrifice himself for you, and he is worthy of the Aries bit beast." 

Max felt a burn on his arm as the Aries bit chip appeared before him, glowing. He took hold of it in his palm. 

"On the other hand, Tyson, you are now charged with the task of protecting Max and Aries. You shall receive Capricorn." 

Tyson too felt a burn on his arm as he snatched the bit chip out of mid-air, like Max had done. 

'Now, the two of you, go and save the world from Volten. But I think Kai might need your help first." 

"Kai? What happened to him? Is it Volten?" asked Tyson. 

"You'll see soon enough. Now, go." 

Max and Tyson both put their beyblades and newly-gained bit chips into their pockets, before running out of the cave. 

+++

The first thing Tyson noticed when he got out of the tomb was Xan. 

"Xan? What are _you_ doing here? Aren't you supposed to be dead?" 

"No time to explain... there's something wrong with Kai." 

Tyson and Max noticed Kai. Or rather, the two Kais. The both of them looked scaringly identical, and both were lying on the ground, twitching occasionally. 

"What happened?" asked Tyson. 

"I don't know... right after I gave him the Gemini bit beast, he split into two." 

"Erm, Tyson..." said Max, "how are we supposed to get home?" 

~~~

Trueangel: Ah, this chapter seems a bit shorter than the last few. 

V.K.: Skiving, huh? 

Trueangel: No... I just thought... the readers would like a break... 

Leon: *grins* Admit it, A-chan. 

Trueangel: I'm saying nothing. 

V.K.: How stubborn... 

Trueangel: *glares at V.K.* 

Leon: Oh well, in that case... review, people! 


End file.
